Steamship Wharf, Oak Bluffs 2003

Seascapes Square

At the remote tip of Cape Cod lies a vast terrain of huge rolling sand dunes, scrub oak and pine, bogs and marshes, bordered by miles of deserted pristine beaches stretching as far as the eye can see. Scattered among the dunes are a handful of tiny primitive shacks built a century ago from the planks of shipwrecked boats that washed up on the shores.

Thanks to an artist’s grant, I had the opportunity to spend two October weeks in “Boris”, a 12′ x 8′ shack nestled into a dune and overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. There was no running water, no electricity, no heat, and no easy access (it was a half-hour hike up and over the dunes to reach the nearest road). Each morning, I pumped water from a well into gallon jugs and hauled them up the hill to my shack – for drinking, cooking on the small gas stove, and the solar shower I jury-rigged on an exterior wall. There was an outhouse close by – although not close enough on the nine days of wind and rain that were to come. In the evening I lit kerosene lanterns to cook and read by. I collected wild cranberries, and even tried (unsuccessfully) to fish for my dinner. My daily routine followed the natural rhythm of the sun, going to bed early and rising at dawn.

The images that I created during those two weeks depicted the sea, the shore and the sky. The square format seemed like the simplest possible shape. In each picture I split my frame into two equal parts, placing the horizon in the center of the frame, thus forming a perfect symmetry. The color palette of each image was limited, and often very subtle – the color of sand, and washed out blues and grays; or oranges, reds and purples at the rising and setting of the sun. I was not interested in recording the precise details of my subject matter. Instead, I was looking to capture their essence. I thought of my camera more like a paintbrush (the meaning of the word “photograph” is “painting with light”), which in turn enabled me to capture the feeling of my surroundings. I used a variety of techniques, including panning with my camera to give the impression of brush strokes. I worked with selective focus, or even no focus at all. I used an old medium format film camera, which seemed appropriate for the project, but which made feedback difficult. When I made the trek to town to dispose of my trash and pick up provisions, I also was able to ship film to my color lab. On the next trip into town, I’d pick up the processed film and be able to see where I was heading with the images.

The dune shack experience was about distilling my life and my photography down to their essence. It gave me the time and space, without distraction, to slow down and reflect on the world around me through the viewfinder of my camera.