The importance of this body of work is its representation
as a radical shift from the style and intent of all the work that
preceded it. Work predating this project was based on economics
rather than aesthetics, or emotive concerns. Because creative work
during this time was random and sporadic, the ideas motivating
Bricks were a significant departure from the norm and a significant
challenge to me as a creative person.
All photography was done between February and April 2001 and all but one image was captured on
the grounds of the University of Virginia.
The metaphor used to kickstart the project was to think of each
brick not as an object of industry, but as a parcel of time, for
instance a day, week, month or year. Within this framework ordinary structures,
such as walls and buildings, became products of an investment of
life, for instance as the product of a life's work. More so, since
many of the images depict portions of more elaborate structures,
defects or peculiarities in the brickwork could therefore be construed as periods of time, for instance a good or bad day, a
rough period in one's life, etc.
Midway through the project my concern with the metaphor lessened
and I began to find compositions that I appreciated on purely
aesthetic terms.
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