Long Fence I
Winner: Best of Show 2002
Phillips Mill, New Hope, PA

30"w x 24"h Archival Pigment Print

Dea In Absentia

Ruminations on the Missing Goddess

In this series of abstract color photographic images I consider the missing goddess – the sacred feminine entity not present in popular notions about the spiritual realm. This is not a direct encounter with the sacred feminine, but photographic suggestions that she has existed and perhaps still does exist. For me, the possibility of her existence raises the many issues of spiritual dialog, identity, religion, authority, morality, sexuality, sin, confession, creativity, love, inclusiveness and self-determination. In many cultures she has taken many forms: the wise and helpful Athena; the beautiful Venus; the faithful Isis; the loving Aphrodite; the deadly Kali; the merciful Kuan Yin; the self-renewing Estsanatlehi; the protective Brigit; the nurturing Madonna.

My images are connected to war in the sense that I photographed them at an abandoned military installation in the U.S. But they are not of war. For me, these are images of possible evidence of the sacred feminine that once occupied a place in the inner life of humanity. And for whatever cause, perhaps our disregard or her disinterest, she has exited the scene. She has left us only shadows and markings of her many forms on the walls where, perhaps, she once stood among us, watching and waiting for our attention. I do not think of the scared feminine as practicing any specific religious faith nor following any direct path. She is a human spirit who has been a part our subconscious in one form or another for millennia.

The forms and colors of these images flow like water. There is fire and ice, light and darkness, and there are deep blues and vibrant oranges, yellows and reds. There are male and female shapes and intimations that combine with the vacant military location to create questions about life, death, love, hate, war and peace.

Perhaps these images are only what they appear to be: stains on the decaying walls of an unused fort that is now a place of some small history. But they may be more than that: they may be the evidence of our inner history inhabited with a feminine spirit more interested in life than death, more interested in creation than destruction.

Essential Places & Markings

With these images, I am exploring the difference between the landscape we expect from our innate memory of nature and the landscape that is implied by the hand of humanity.  As we shape the landscape, we shape ourselves; as our landscape changes, we change.  Whether we transcend what we see depends on that which is inside of us that we bring to the viewing experience. That change is actual, but also implies new connections between the landscape and our inner selves.


"Essential Places" - In motion pictures, a dissolve is a transition that eases the viewer through the end of a scene and into the next. In this series of images, fog plays a similar role. It gently guides us through the landscape, from clarity through ambiguity to self-reflection. Working at dawn in fog, I discovered in these places a dreamlike, personal landscape that is calm and hushed. Fog transformed familiar places into symbolic landscapes, revealing and giving significance to some objects while obscuring others. The images ask me to find true meanings in places and things that were once familiar and now appear as foreign territory.


The subtle variations in the gray scale work well in fog but differently from the crystal clear representation often associated with black & white photography. Here the delicate, gray tones seem to gain substance as they conceal the landscape. In fog, perspective is accelerated and the horizon lies undefined. Forms appear and then vanish quickly, creating a changed place within the familiar landscape.

“Markings” is a series of photographic studies of lines, signs and objects that mark playing fields, roads, shorelines, and other familiar places – primarily shot in fog. The simplicity of the images and the subtle gradation of tones in the black & white photography create an evocative and meditative quality. I hope these images invite reflection and project a sense of calm and balance. For me, they pose visual questions about where things begin and end, and bring new significance to familiar environments.

Ellipsis of Memory

In this series of photographic images I consider the nature of memory as it relates to people, past and present, and as it evolves and devolves over time. As in the elliptical path subatomic particles revolving around the nucleus of an atom, memory revolves through us and around us during our lives. When we are distanced from others, whether through time or place, their images in our mind’s eye may be crystal clear — we remember the smallest details and draw on multiple senses to recreate a memory of a person at a unique time and place. But memory can fail or be transformed over time. It may lack the key details needed to create a mental image or become idealized or otherwise changed. Reality is suggested not defined. When we meet someone from the past, memory informs the present. We may discover that our memory does not match the person in front of us. We have changed from the time our memory was formed. The memory becomes untethered from the person standing before us. When viewing my images up close and then from a distance, you will experience some of what I consider in this work — the role of memory in our understanding or misunderstanding of people, the role of portraiture in relation to memory, and the role of time and distance in understanding another person. The closer you view one of my images, the less “understandable” it becomes. Distance brings more clarity but it is closer to the understanding or loss of understanding gained by distance, time, and memory.

France

Discovering the landscape and architecture of France is pure enjoyment. This series of images celebrates a country that has evolved and matured into a realm of rich textures and shapes. While my other work is more contemplative, when photographing in France, I am steeped in the romantic sense of place.

This series of photographs was shot in the Dordogne River Valley in southwestern France over a period of several years. My love for the French countryside and appreciation for the sense of style that orders the landscape and architecture are apparent in these images. They are the expression of my love affair with a beautiful country, fabulous food and wine, and warm and friendly people.

--- DF Connors    

For purchase of my images, please click here

All images and text in this website © DF Connors, LLC. All rights reserved worldwide.