For this series, I was granted access to the basement and first two floors of an old church. It was built in the 1850’s. I had initially expected it to be on the small side, judging by how it had been described to me. When I arrived at the front door, I was immediately overwhelmed. There was so much character in this location that I could not possibly capture it all in the time that I had. Even the dust was likely older than I am.
Organized religion has always seemed surreal to me because I grew up as an outsider to all of it. Having said that, I know that religion is a sensitive topic for many people. I tried to remain as respectful as I could with my edits. My original intent was to do more setups with props, but that was before I saw the location for myself. I think the building communicates an eeriness on its own. It really did not need my help making it even more so. I’ve been told that I attended Sunday school at this church when I was very young, but I have no recollection of it whatsoever. I thought seeing the place might jog my memory but that was not the case.
This series is not tied to a specific piece of Lynch’s body of work, but it is inspired by a running theme he often returns to. In much of his work, he likes to show the rot and imperfection that hides just below the surface of seemingly innocent or “perfect” things. This church had so much of that quality apparent in almost every single room that I changed my plans for these photos entirely. Even the main chapel, as beautiful as it was, had cracks in the walls and chipped paint.
I decided to split this series up into two installments. With the weather being so unpredictable, I ended up taking more photos than usual to compensate for any potential lack of mobility in the near future. I also figured that doing it in segments would allow for feedback on how I can improve with the next set.
Okay nice work again George… One question I had is the church still open or has it been closed? I'm wondering when the last time services were held here? Anyway my favorites are the images that show both decay and optimism or spirit in the same shot. For instance, they elephant mural on the wall in the nursery surrounded by all the chipping and decaying paint. That one image encompasses the whole human journey in one shot. The image of the edge of the door with the pews beyond I like very much for the same reason. The first shot that's taken straight on with your dolls sitting in the chairs as an eerie edge to it because of the formality of the set up, the painted faux archways and the solemnity of the chairs all vibrate in a very strange way. The fact that you didn't want to just be disrespectful and do obvious trashy pictures is to your credit. But all of them into Google Drive and I'll take a look through them to and see which ones resonate for me. Keep going… Nice job!
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