I was drawn to the image of a gas mask in response to thinking about the state of our environment and how much harm, intended or unintended, we can create.
The gas mask became a baseline for various issues I wanted to address and explore artistically.
Climate Change. War. Anthropocene.
The mask carries a weight and solemnness.
I began to explore a not so imaginary world where the gas mask became commonplace. How would we respond to a cumbersome yet essential accessory? Would we care anymore than we do now about what we would be protecting ourselves from? And how would we stand out from one another, in some sort of original way?
During a studio visit , my good friend and amazing photographer, Shawnalee Anderton voiced the idea of photographing me wearing the masks I had created. This idea resonated with my direction and we set a date. Her skill and creativity pulled the shots together to what you see here.
