Mirage

Exploring the effects of isolation in its most extreme form, I journeyed to the Salton Sea, ground zero to one of America’s largest--yet widely unknown--ecological disasters. The sea's extreme tidal fluctuations left the beach town destroyed, leaving behind remnants of a once-thriving society. As all inhabitants gradually abandoned the sea in the late 50’s, the Salton Sea soon became an isolated wasteland. Following my exploration deeper and deeper into the heart of decay, this concentration reveals the effects of isolation on color and life, space and place. Like fossils these discarded objects (pictured) jut out from parched land, mere whispers of life crusted over by earth and sea. My photographic series narrates the lost story of the Salton Sea, its disappearing community, and the surreal, disorienting space created in the wake of decay, echoing the life and glamour of a time long gone.