Allen Morris

ISO | Landscape, cultivated from nature through the hands of humans in an effort to drive the needs and wants of a society, is the metaphor that I use in this body of work to explore the ideas of history, security, identity and place both in geographical and psychological terms.

 Even when living in an urban environment, I believe that there is a connection that humans seek out between themselves and the landscape that they inhabit. As creatures, we make connections to the spaces that we inhabit; we attempt to intertwine the narratives of place with our own individual story to form a connection with our geographical and psychological places in life. This drive to meld with the population that surrounds us, or the landscape that we find ourselves existing within, provides a sense of stability and security.

However, when epochal changes occur within our own individual history, the security that we seek from our physical surroundings and those with whom we interact becomes more difficult to find. It is the search for those feelings of stability in a time of place insecurity that can be seen in the photographs that comprise “ISO”.

Using the landscape as a stage on which to act out these feelings of insecurity, “ISO” explores the tense feeling of uncertainty felt while searching for something to hold on to - a place of security and permanence in which to take root. The moments of stability provided by these static objects found within these photographs provide a brief moment of security, reassurance, control, and order in the face of uncertainty and chaos. www.allenmorrisphoto.com