Monday, October 19, 2009

Eric White's Borderlands

Eric White got in touch the other day to share some images from his series Borderlands. In the statement for the work, he explains:

"Borderlands began as a fascination with the Berlin Wall, that towering symbol of tyranny; on one side freedom, the other oppression. It is at once both an observation and a question: With so much to gain by their crossing, can walls really stem the flow of people, the flow of ideas yearning to cross their borders?

It is obvious to anyone crossing the US-Mexico border that while this fence may mark the boundary between two sovereign countries, it cannot contain those who refuse to be imprisoned or limited by the separation it seeks to enforce.

Millions of people journey across this border every year, making it the most heavily-crossed border in the world. As the US government asserts increasing control over the boundary, however, it has also become one of the most violent and deadly areas of the world.

The new sections of fence erected in the last years of the Bush Administration have had the effect not of stopping people from crossing, but merely changing where they cross. These treacherous areas are becoming increasingly desolated and deadly. These are the areas Borderland seeks to highlight and explore.

As a child growing up in New Mexico, this proximity to the border was a source of wonder and delight. It is not difficult to imagine a child on the opposite side of the border experiencing exactly the same delight and wonder. I may not advocate an open border policy but again I ask: can a wall really stop the flow?"



From "Borderlands"
© Eric White



From "Borderlands"
© Eric White



From "Borderlands"
© Eric White



From "Borderlands"
© Eric White



From "Borderlands"
© Eric White