Intermediate State
The “Intermediate State”, or “Bardo” as it is known in Tibetan, is the transition stage between death and the afterlife. It is a period in which ones own desires are peeled away in preparation for what comes next, whatever that may be.
We as human beings fear death above all else, yet it is one experience we are guaranteed to share. What is believed will happen next though varies greatly. In this project I have used the concept of the Intermediate State as a starting point for exploring the idea of death being simply the start of a new journey, one that is equally strange as the life we live. This is done by directly engaging in the fear of the unknown, driving around at night and exploring any areas that cause me discomfort or make me feel unsafe. I photograph at night because it both metaphorically represents this fear due to the lack of visibility and recognition of the spaces, and because of the peculiar atmosphere and warm/cool color contrasts created through light pollution, street lamps, and any other light in the dark. I document myself exploring these spaces using a Canon T3i, taking long and often multiple exposures of each area and sometimes layering several images on top of each other to create a ghostly effect in the figures.
Through all of this I have metaphorically placed myself in the intermediate state, exploring the more mysterious aspects of death and the unknown as a therapy for my own fear. I directly engage and live in this strangeness, engaging in my own ritual of exploration. These photos however, are not about myself but the human condition. While nearly all images in this portfolio include myself in them, I do not consider these self portraits as the identity of each figure is hidden through all black and non distinct clothing, implying that this figures journey could represent anyone.
The work itself is visually indebted to photographer Gregory Crewdson, director Hiro Murai, and musician Steven Ellison, a.k.a. Flying Lotus. Crewdson’s focus on mood and atmosphere, as well as a sense of a disruption of the norm, is something I find both conceptually and visually directly related how my images are composed and my concept. His images consist of figures being placed in large familiar spaces under mysterious circumstances, with a focus on the warm/cool contrasts of twilight and night hours, the combination of which I found emotionally potent. Hiro Murai’s video work is often minimal and surreal, with odd things happening in bare and empty versions of everyday settings. There is always a touch of mystery and melancholy mixed with a slightest hints of dread, this feeling being created through lighting, characters expressions, and slow moving cinematography even though there is no discernable danger happening onscreen. This again, inspired the work both visually and conceptually. Steven Ellison, a.k.a. Flying Lotus is the most influential artist to this work even though he is a musician. His work deals almost primarily in the realms of death and the afterlife, and while it is all very psychedelic and left field, there is still an emotional warmness and sense of humor that comes through even on his darkest pieces. His music was listened to primarily while I was driving around looking for uncomfortable spaces, establishing a sonic atmosphere for myself along with the visual atmosphere I was experiencing.
“Intermediate State” is ultimately a reflection on both the reverence of death and the unknown and a reaction to it, one that is meant to be both fearful, sublime and oddly celebratory. It is a representation of the one thing all human beings share and embraces this head on with a subdued inquisitiveness that is meant to be as therapeutic as it is concerning.
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