Stefan Lesueur: Obscura

We find evidence of a psychological disconnect in our culture’s relationship to history and place by simply looking up from our own camera displays to take note of the behavior of other visitors at national parks and monuments. Cultural forces push us to document and curate our everyday experiences in order to validate our memories and form digital identities. Saying I was here has become more important than experiencing our surroundings first-hand.

Landmarks share a particular story with the public by subjectively designating people, events and ideas as culturally significant. As we occupy the physical spaces of these monuments and yet consider them by means of our digital screens, we participate in the perpetuation of these ideals and further distance ourselves from understanding their meaning.

Presented in conversation with UMOCA’s Main Gallery exhibition, Kate Ericson and Mel Ziegler’s Grandma’s Cupboard, these photographs question the ways in which we view, understand and value the monumental.