My rental car was immobilized. Thirty miles down a loose, dirt road, the surface gave way to a deep, soft sand. The wheels sank until the sand cradled the underside of the car. My friend and I dug around the car for two hours, well past sunset in this remote section of Utah. There was no phone reception and little chance of encountering another car. Far away from any discernible light pollution, we were left with only a small flashlight, the car’s headlights, and a complex pattern of light from the stars overhead for illumination. As I stopped to rest, I looked upward toward one of the most brilliant skies I had ever seen. The view was accompanied by a chorus of moos, only a few yards away, but completely cloaked in darkness. In that moment, I was in deep space, surrounded by a choir of stealth cows.

Looking into the night sky has always allowed me to reflect on ideas of distance, time, and the insignificant scale of my existence. Compared to stars, galaxies, and space debris, I’m probably not very important … and neither are you. Absurdist philosophy suggests there may be meaning in the universe, but mankind is incapable of its comprehension. This philosophy implies a futility in the human appetite for knowledge and the search for meaning. With animals preceding humans in space, the journey is rendered even more ridiculous.

Terra Incognita, is an attempt to question humanity’s never-ending pursuit of knowledge and the ridiculousness inherent in the attempt. Within the installation, an interactive 3-channel video is designed to confuse any linear structure within the work. Physical movement causes shifts in time, echoing the relationship between cosmic time and space.

The two figures perpetually explore the barren landscape in pursuit of the unknown.



Click here for documentation of the installation