I photograph cross-sections of our modern landscape, the stations of our lives and the silence between them. I search for signs, portents and absurdities in a strangely beautiful world that occasionally offers slivers of redemption.
From urban centers to the strip mall sprawl and finally to the new rural areas, many of us traverse an increasingly sterile terrain that is difficult to escape. I explore the architecture, landscape, spatial patterns and textures of a confusing and complex time.
I hope to glean some meaning from, and illuminate the mystery inherent in these transient places: the gas stations, U-Haul centers and commuter railroads that offer us a way home or a promise of escape; the video stores and recreation areas that provide some form of comfort or diversion, all under the ever-increasing veil of surveillance; and the seeming security and warmth of humble dwellings as well as the ubiquity of construction sites. It is here in these future ruins that our civilization haunts us. My goal is to photograph the silent truths of this uncertain age.
I’ve been photographing this landscape for the last ten years, first with a medium format camera and now with a view camera which allows an even more detailed examination of subject matter. I am drawn to the kind of narrative that allows the interplay of many different subjects, surfaces and locations, resulting in visual poems capable of multiple interpretations.
— Patrick O’Hare, Brooklyn, New York, USA
