2016 – present

Flood State is an ongoing series about weather anxieties and the precarious act of making a home on vulnerable land. In Louisiana, we face one of the highest rates of sea level rise in the world, compounded by the loss of 10,000 acres of coastal land each year. In addition, increasingly intense rainfall disrupts life with alarming frequency, flooding streets, cars, and homes without warning.

These portents of climate change leave me questioning the long-term viability of living in a place where we are at constant risk. I consider heading for higher ground. Yet extreme weather events are on the rise globally, begging the question: Is any place truly safe?

And so, I imagine a future where we adjust and adapt to survive the rising tides. Using small toys and commonplace objects I create photograms by arranging the items directly onto light-sensitive polymer photogravure plates. The exposed plates are printed on Japanese Kozo paper, for an ephemeral effect that compliments their fluid subject matter. In this brave new water-world, the skies may be dark and stormy, but fear is tempered by hope.