Statement:
The work of “Crossroads” came together in spring 2026 while driving through the desert of the southern USA. What stood out more than the haunting desert landscapes was the innumerable roadside memorials to loved ones who had passed. Solitary. Forgotten. Driven by daily by most people blind to them – just more things left behind on the roadside. These called me. Juxtaposed by the recent USA-Israel-Iran international war that was proclaimed the same week, these memorials called for someone to pay attention to them. More eyes to see them, lonely among the large empty spaces of the world around them.
This work is a series created by a Canadian looking at the USA. An outsider’s perspective looking in. Trying to make sense of something so numerous as to be ordinary to most – yet so foreign and hauntingly beautiful to an outside eye. This is just the start of my journey with this topic. It will grow organically as I explore it further in the years and destinations not yet travelled. It’s scope expanded as I drove to include some forgotten out of the way Native American cemeteries and Canadian locations which echoed the same feelings.
This work is greatly influenced by that of Robert Frank and “The Americans”. The aim is to shed light on these unique very personal memorials few stop to look at in their varied, often surreal backdrops. Humanity and Nature. Loss and Beauty. Indifference and Love. Many stories untold.
Forcing myself to look inward as well as outward. Looking for these little things we ignore and take for granted, but also looking inwards at myself and figuring out what is truly important in this life and this world.
