Portrait of a Lake
Portrait of a Lake is an ongoing photographic series that serves as a testament to the current state of the Great Salt Lake, the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere; home to millions. This lake is dying and the entire ecological system is on the brink of an environmental collapse. Through Portrait of a Lake, I aim to delay, encapsulate, and contemplate this decay.
As an artist, I stand as a witness to the lake's life and death. Recognizing its significance as a microcosm, reflecting the broader extinction crisis on our planet. Through the work, I seek to delay the seemingly inevitable mortality facing the lake and encourage contemplation about our connection to the land.
Portrait of a Lake fundamentally acknowledges an intrinsic connection between humanity and our environment, highlighting that we are an integral part of the landscape, akin to the rocks and trees. By acknowledging ourselves as essential components of a much larger ecosystem and a manifestation of nature, what changes? In asking this, we are then able to question whose deaths we are witness to. Is this not, after all, a small practice in self-love and empathy?