Indigenous people often use the word “power” to connote the spirit/quality/energy of the land.  In the Cahuilla language ‘a’iv’a’ connotes to the life energy of all things.  The tradition of European approach to the landscape is to depict the land as exotic, alien, pastoral and other.  Each image is paired with the native people that live in the area to link back to that powerful belief that all things are imbued with inherent energy.

POWER uses the same technical processes that are used in the Empire and Appellation panoramas. These large scale works are 20” high and are over six to ten feet in length.  The photos are made of a large collection of smaller frames that are bonded

together using software.  The resolution and detail of each individual panorama has a look not unlike the contact print from a large format negative.    The links to each image are in wide format to take advantage of a detailed overview.

Panoramas have been a favorite methodology of theatrical presentations and connect to the wide format Cinerama vistas that typified 1960’s experimentation in all enveloping simulated environments, particularly in the genre of the western movie tradition.  POWER depict sites where power generation in the state of California created energy from resources, whether that is oil, wind, water, natural gas, nuclear or the sun.

Sites are either under active use or have been decommissioned or in the process of being shut down in favor of renewable resources.