Grant Ernhart photography

© Allison Grant

Allison Grant was one of the new people I was lucky enough to meet at my Harold residency last summer(By the way, today is the last day to apply for this summer’s residency! Hurry up if you are interested). I think her work is interesting for multiple reasons. First, I find that much of her work is very seductive, in the sense that her images make me want to spend time with them and to parse out the way she shot them and the purposefulness behind them. Allison is trying to meld her interests with photography with her questions/concerns over the reality that humanity is slowly consuming our environment and irrevocably hurting nature. One of the things I most admire about her work is that in order to tackle these issues she has sought ways that she can contribute to the existing dialogue without being overly didactic or being overly obvious. She is not flying all over the world to photograph the receding glaciers or melting ice caps, the whole while releasing loads of carbon emissions, thus contributing to the current dilemma. Instead, she is working from her surroundings in Chicago, utilizing the materials of the everyday that are slowly piling up everywhere in our throw away culture.

© Allison Grant

© Allison Grant

In her own words Allison says:

“These photographs examine the natural world through objects we use and discard regularly: plastics, disposable goods and printed media. Using these materials, I construct and photograph landscape scenes that at first seem untouched and pristine, but reveal their artifice upon cLose Weight Exercise/”>Lose Weight Exerciser inspection.”