Christine Finkelson:
BAWL-KENZ
This series of photographs, BAWL-kenz, are about capturing the energy and intimacy of “place” through composition, perspective and color. I was drawn to the geometry and decay of the structures that withstood the test of time – war, humans, weather – in addition to the interaction with the atmospheric and natural world. I love the sense of mystery and the centuries of stories that surround this region.
The term Balkan Peninsula was a synonym for European Turkey, the political borders of former Ottoman Empire provinces. the term "Balkans" acquired a negative political meaning, especially in Croatia and Slovenia, as well in worldwide casual usage for war conflicts and fragmentation of a territory.
Crystal Vielula:
WATER
I was on a hike, thinking of the word, “enrich”. As I gazed at the blue green waters of a pond teeming with life, I couldn’t stop thinking about the richness of that pond. I thought of the primordial ooze we all came from, the way that life springs from life in water. I thought about the way water provides the perfect atmosphere for life to multiply, diversify, and become something new. Water is always enriched with life, even if it’s on the microbial level. Water has enriched our world, providing the habitat from which every life form has been possible. To look at a pond is to see the vast richness of possibility, a universe of life, an ecosystem constantly in motion. There is a serenity in contemplating the persistence and production of life.