The early 20th-century ushered in an audacious American gem: the picture-palace. As "movie-magic" glamour permeated society, pleasure domes of euphoric pageantry sprouted up across the nation. For few cents visitors transported into theatrical “playhouses” of enchanting cultures. Grandeur, symmetry, and sight lines captivate, while each interior's eclectic ornamentation reveals diverse competition. Stripped of visitors and photographed with ambient lighting, decorative styles appear—allegorical motifs, silky damask, gilded surfaces, intricate carvings befitting spectacle. A quietude surrounds me as past resonates into present, reflecting souls of magnificent places. As custodians of a bygone era, their flamboyance showcases cultural allure for assembly, storytelling, and opulence. Cinema as accessible entertainment subverted class distinctions upheld in classical theatre. George Rapp of then-firm Rapp&Rapp: “Here is a shrine to democracy where wealthy rub elbows with the poor.” As citizens embrace shifting connections in consumerist cultures, I aim to preserve these distinguished social spaces' relevance and rich memories.

At the dawn of 2020, universal freedoms were renegotiated as the world receded into quarantine. Lifestyles were fraught with apprehension surrounding social implications of an unapologetic threat among our collective future. We promptly discovered detachment drastically shifts routine and tests psychology. Humanity's fragile inter-connectedness amid a surreal stillness became a germane allegory of solidarity and perseverance in an uncertain world. 

A shared meal reveals tradition and offers windows into culture, provides discourse, and speaks to identity. Personal electronic devices have rapidly modified our communal experiences. Our new paradigm of exchange, a routine of frequently consulting screen-tech, has become accepted and customary. We retreat into self-imposed, momentary bubbles of curation, oftentimes while in the presence of others. This new dichotomy is particularly observed among the time-honored and intimate surfaces where we break bread daily. For this series, I contemplate the indomitable implications technology has on human interaction by documenting personal meals shared with friends and family. Evoking the Dutch Golden Age genre of still-life painting as an aesthetic foundation, I intend these photographs as contemporary anecdotal counterparts representing the frenetic, hyper-convenient, always-connected, consumerist epoch of instant gratification.

Standing on enormously diverse geology ranging from fiery inferno to glacial chill—both often within a stone's throw of each other—I set out to capture dynamic and elemental vistas while informing a visual thesis on fragile geothermal terrain. Iceland is an island nation of significant ongoing tectonic activity in tandem to a prolific source of renewable energy and a genesis of new topography. 

Unrelenting winds and formidable waves contour this volcanic silvery-white landscape into luminous, lunar-like surfaces unique to the Aegean Sea. Sharp cliffs, caves and valleys, occupants on amorphous alien terrain—I find myself enraptured and mesmerized. Sarakiniko feels like a notable nexus, a collective liminal ground of enchantment and study on the island of Milos. Among a diversity of visitors immersed in mutual awe, I momentarily disentangle from life’s customary bustle.Each explorer’s ephemeral approach summarily comprises the endless dream-like dynamism experienced here. As a former aspiring astronomer captivated by the cosmos, this majestic natural place rekindled fond moments of wonder and discovery.