Pilelands (2016-ongoing) is a developing archive of piles.
This collection focuses on ephemeral landscapes made up of stockpiles, leftover materials, stored goods, and discarded waste. These formations of material often act as an abandoned focal point in the landscape, usually found in diverse yet somewhat mundane landscapes, such as storefronts, parking lots, construction zones, backyards, sidewalks, and grassy fields.
To me, this study began in 2014. Decades prior, John Pfahl sought out the very same mundane scenes in his Piles series. Pfahl found piles that reminded him of the mountains he would visit on vacation out west. The coincidence of having moved to Buffalo, New York, only to discover a local artist who had made similar work years prior, reinforced the idea to continue my exploration of these piles.
In my efforts to expand the exploration of these ephemeral landscapes, I developed an interactive map built on user submissions. This element is in the works and will be made available to see submissions soon.