Julie V. Garner: Woven Photographs of Constructed Landscapes

My artwork is an exploration of the architecture of daily life.  I’m interested in ordinary places that were conceived and built with functionality in mind, but which, through the passage of time, have taken on added meaning as indicators of who we are now or who we were in an earlier era. Each place is, for me, infused with the labor of people, both those who built it and those who have worked within it.  In some, that work was benign or beneficial (Feedmill, Petaluma) while others may involve more controversial purposes, such as supporting the war effort (Door 11) or the seemingly convoluted court system (Halls of Justice).

The woven landscapes were created using a technique inspired by my study of tapestry weaving.  First I photograph a scene from multiple angles and then create a tableau incorporating several of the pictures together.  “Back Story” incorporates twenty-two separate images while most of the others involve approximately ten.  Once the final images are selected I print two of each and cut them into 3/8” strips. These become the warp and weft.

Through the use of camera distortions and selective offsetting of the strips, varying degrees of abstraction are introduced with the purpose of more deeply engaging the senses and creating a visual journey.  It is my hope that the experience leaves the viewer, as the process leaves me, more intimately connected to our immediate world and more fully aware as we pass through it.

– Julie Garner