The Rail Lines project is a photographic exploration of the landscapes along the railway lines of the north east. A reoccurring experience of photographing along rail lines is finding things left on the landscape by previous generationsu2014old buildings, large structures, signs, modified topography, mounds on the landscapeu2014without stories attached to explain them. They are dislocated bits of history without a narrative. Much of my work explores these places which occupy the landscape which have lost their references. They hint at a history and social structure, their incompleteness encourages story making to fill the gaps.
My interest in rail lines evolved from their having strong ties to the development of cities and towns across the country. These lines changed the landscape of the country. They provide a path through the landscape where history and culture are concentrated. Traveling rail lines provides access to places which owe their existence to the rail. These areas reveal layers of historyu2014older buildings and structures can be discovered like fossils amid the newer layers of architecture.
The landscape accumulates memories and displays its own history. It is the sum of the events that have occurred in that place.