Ten Hexagons | Color Photograph from 4" x 5" Color Negative | 2009

Three Flower Pots | Color Photograph from 4" x 5" Color Negative | 2010

Leaning Tree | Color Photograph from 4" x 5" Color Negative | 2011

Artist Statement: Ersatz: [er-zahts]: An artificial substance or article used to replace something natural or genuine; a substitute. Ersatz is a photographic exploration about how architecture influences those who inhabit it. Architecture plays an important role in how people interact, where and whether they interact, and how they feel about the activity that happens within a particular physical space. People recognize when they do not like a space, or if it is lacking something—and shown in this work are attempts to rectify such flaws in design. This collection examines artificial features that are incorporated into publicly accessible spaces (commercial, corporate, and institutional environments) in an attempt to mitigate or lessen the effect of structures that, while functional, are essentially cold, flat, featureless boxes. This collection also seeks to draw the viewer’s attention to the presence of these ersatz elements in modern architectural spaces. All of these images depict elements that are added to an environment in order to simulate comfort within those people who pass through each respective space. Some are of a more physical or sensory kind, such as a place for people to sit, or to have something to look at. However, most ersatz elements relate to the connection of humans to nature. The place to sit and the thing to look at become places to look at nature, or a representation therein.