Entanglement

Critical Mass 2023 Finalist

Artist Statement

Entanglement explores how a multi-decade, decommissioned WWII/Korean War practice bombing range in southern California can be representative of historical policies that create the structural inequities that are present today. These blue-and-white images of an entangled California landscape are local in scope but universal in what they represent. My aim is to make people sense the underlying conflict and tension embodied in this contemplative artwork.

I use expired 120mm film as a physical representation for past experiences. The unpredictability of the expired film provides parallels to the inexactitude of memory and the unknown impact of past policies. The decay of the film corresponds with the decomposition of the former military site as well as deteriorating historical policies.  I use a cyanotype printing process exploring how the Prussian blue inherent to a cyanotype abstracts, modifies, disguises, or otherwise alters how the images content is perceived. Through this medium, I convey references to memories of trauma that are held within the land itself.

This urban environment has buried unexploded military ordnance that has not been entirely cleared and remains an unseen threat. This is similar to how past public policies have morphed and changed over time, usually out of sight of public scrutiny potentially presenting a similar underlying danger to society. While evoking a sense of the transience of things man-made, humanity is not seen, their presence is felt.

Note: this is a developing project: https://www.douglasstockdale.com/entanglements