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Greetings,
Identifying distant ranges from the crest of Wilderness Areas has been a pastime for as long as I can remember. Standing atop a peak in the heart of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, I’d note the Mission Mountain Wilderness to the west, Great Bear Wilderness to the north, and, on a really clear day, the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the south. The spark for this project fanned into a full blown flame four years ago in the Rattlesnake Wilderness. While composing an image along the sinuous subalpine spine of that range with the Mission Mountain Wilderness looming on the horizon, I wondered, ‘is it possible that such an image could be made that connected all of Montana’s Wilderness Areas to one another?’ I haven’t stopped thinking about that question since.
The question is as much a policy question as it is an ecological one. The precise boundaries of every Designated Wilderness were established by Congress following vigorous public debate. Every inch of our wildest public land was hard won. And yet, our Wilderness Areas are imperfect ecosystems, often missing critical tracts of land or connectivity with surrounding islands of Wilderness. My goal with this project is to visually explore those connections and showcase the unique ecology of each Wilderness while remaining open to the twists and turns this project is bound to take over the next several years.
Fundamentally, I view this project as a puzzle. The smallest pieces are the wildflowers, rocks, ridges and sky, awaiting assembly within the viewfinder. Every composition is a puzzle to be solved. The angle and orientation of the camera just so, allowing the puzzle pieces space to breathe and balance within the frame, giving life to the landscape. From the individual photograph, the puzzle zooms out to reveal a much larger puzzle, connecting one photograph to the next: Wilderness to Wilderness. Zoom out further and the geopolitical lines vanish. The puzzle becomes Earth.
Wilderness to Wilderness is as much public facing as it is inward facing. Ostensibly, my sights are set on creating a collection of images that showcases the unique ecological splendor and geographic relationship of Montana’s Wilderness Areas, ultimately resulting in the touring exhibition and book. Personally, however, I’ve got my eye on how I, a 21st century person, relate to our Wildest places. I’m in search of capital ’T’ Truth out there. If I have learned anything from previous outdoor experiences, Truth is revealed in wilderness and applied at home. I’ll be maintaining a weekly blog chronicling trips, sharing background information on the Wilderness Areas as I visit them and generally trying to better understand the liberating qualities of Wilderness.
Thanks for your curiosity!
Happy Trails,
Brian