artwork > Driftwood

Driftwood is an extension of my daily commute between New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana, with a focus on the Venetian Isle stretch along old HWY-90. This project captures the constant discovery of materials and objects washed ashore, resembling driftwood, shaped by the forces of wind, tides, and waves. Each instance of encountering a beached boat becomes a moment of artistic alarm, documented through ongoing photography. Utilizing charcoal as a medium, I aim to evoke timelessness in these images, concealing the exact moment of capture. This deliberate ambiguity aligns with the larger theme of hauntology, drawing inspiration from southern gothic literature and exploring the inescapable presence of the past in the contemporary southern landscape. Hauntology, as a concept, refers to the persistence of elements from the cultural or social past, akin to the haunting presence of a ghost.