Photo book review Fazio

Gillian Fazio

February 20, 2015

Visual Literacy 

The Way Out West Desert Landscapes by Michelle Van Parys Review

In this photo book, Michelle Van Parys opens with her artist statement of intent. This gives the viewer context and food for thought while looking at the photograph compilation. She mentions in her artist statement that some of her photographs may bring up feelings of  political stances, but clarifies that the desert landscape may speak those words on its own with the exploitation and land use seen in the photographs.  She closes with, “ ‘her’ photographs are conceived as open-ended meditations on evolving human/nature interactions.”

These photographs presented were taken over a twenty year period, so time has an overall presence in her photos, as well as the alteration of the land by the human presence. The series is called “The Plates”, which focusses on the range from simplistic human interference with the land to a growing presence. All taken in black and white, most photographs have a sense of humbleness and charm. The landscapes that would be just landscapes now include man made houses, cars, and shacks.  These photos, to me, give a nostalgic sense of simple times and make a slight commentary on how the human presence is ok, but should never take over, but more respect the land and have a symbiotic relationship. 

Towards the end she shows more photos of scenes where people have manipulated land of some sort for themselves, whether carving into rocks, putting up “no trespassing” signs, or scenes of mining valleys with fences around them. The presence of humans is ever growing and affects more than we realize. One of the last photos is titled “antler ranch” and has dozens and dozens of antlers in the form of a tree and skulls from conquered bucks and bulls and game animals. The last photos focus on the man made fences, statues, and stores with signs of “America” and “ammo”  highlighting as she put gracefully “the clash of cultures,” ending with only photos of people and their guns as the center of the photograph. To conclude “The Way Out West”, Michelle Van Parys gives the viewer food for thought about the struggle of human versus nature complex struggle for rights and equality in a subtle way that allows the viewer to form their own opinions and thoughts.