TOUCHSTONES

January, 2006

Sequencing a book is very different from laying out a show or putting together a portfolio. It is important to pay attention to the sequence of images, which lead the viewer through the book as well as how the images play against one another. Paying attention to the sequence is paramount because this leads the viewer through the book over and over again. At the same time, images on opposing pages give energy to each other as well as to the project at large when they play off each other.

When we were putting together TOUCHSTONES, Plate 15, Blackadder Nave, was an obvious choice. But what image would lead into it or follow it? Knowing that we only had a few single image pages we sequenced the book thinking in pairs of images. What was I going to put with this strong, high key image that wouldn't detract from it and yet would be strong in its own right?

Plate 15 is a strong horizontal image. White columns with dark carvings along the lower edge of the frame and a central row of darkly decorated lights lead the eye to a window in the distant center. The tunnel effect of the arches also leads the eye back towards the window.

In May of 2003 I spent a week in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. It is another area rich in architectural heritage. Foremost are the ruins of three Cistercian abbeys: Sweetheart, Dundrennan, and Glenluce. It is also an area rich in castles, small standing stone sites, early Christian churches (and their ruins) as well as an abundance of beautiful small towns.

After a week of looking at ruins and stones I arrived at Dundrennan Abbey far more interested in the huge tree just outside the entrance than I was in the ruins within. I loved the lighter leaves in front leading to a dark almost black gate in the distance. The tree had such a presence that it felt as if it had been there as long as the abbey ruins. I remember thinking that this tree had the potential to be part of the best image I had made all day. I had no idea f it would fit into the project but worked on it for a long time switching lenses, vantage points and even cameras.

While sequencing the book I placed Dundrennan Abbey and Blackadder Nave next to each other where they resonated as a pair. Blackadder Nave is high key white on white; Dundrennan Abbey has a fuller tonal range. The window is center in Blackadder Nave and off center in Dundrennan Abbey. One is white and the other black. One floats above ground and the other is firmly rooted on the ground. Arches form both images, but Dundrennan is of leaves and Blackadder is of stone

For me they made a wonderful point-counter-point pair of images. I still enjoy the visual resonance that I see playing between them.