ICELANDIC HOUSES 2003

computer prints from SX-70 Polaroids, dimensions variable

In the summer of 2003 I traveled to Iceland with my 1970's vintage Polaroid SX-70 camera in tow. This was my first visit to Iceland. I was struck by the sparse geometry of the buildings. Houses reminded me of the little green plastic houses that came with the Monopoly game. I was also taken by the colors of the buildings, which ranged from muted pastels to the most vivid almost primary colors. The color was amplified by the soft blues and grays of the sky and the defuse northern light.

I proceeded to shoot Polaroids of these buildings in a way that would emphasize their abstract geometric qualities. All the images are out of focus to draw attention to the lines of the structures rather than the details. Most of the images are taken square on in an effort to flatten the image and further reduce it to line, texture and color. I draw inspiration for this series from the work of German photograpers Bernd and Hilla Becher and Uta Barth.

The images are printed on a high resolution archival quality digital printer on archival acid-free water color paper.

Click on any image to see a larger version.

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