Dubious Cosmology: A Photo/Sculptural Rendition of Landscape and Modern Myth

Abstract

Dubious Cosmology is a series of photographs and sculptures that examine the visual portrayal of landscape and science fiction in contemporary Western culture. The work considers why human beings feel the need to have a dialogue with the unknown, and how this dialogue takes on both rational and outlandish forms. The historical photographic processes of tintypes and cyanotypes, along with three-dimensional collage, work together to inform modern myth and fringe beliefs through the tropes of science fiction. The work draws on antiquated and contemporary techniques, found objects, and original photographs to create a surprising experience of landscape and the mystery imbued within it. Ultimately, the project proposes that, in spite of our efforts to discern and decipher the unknown, we must simply appreciate it, and acknowledge that we may know very little about the nature of the universe.