Marking the Land No. 1

A road trip from Santa Fe to Santa Monica was the genesis of Marking the Land 1, which presents photographs taken on highways and byways that cut through the vastness of the American Southwest. In documenting sites separated from one another by hundreds of miles, Melissa Cicetti sought to explore and expand her understanding of the concept of place. She characterises sites that have been made specific by the interaction between various areas of the land and the human-made forms imposed on them. Cicetti's interest in architecture is reflected in many of the photos, which include abandoned structures - barns, churches, gas stations, Anasazi ruins. Fences and wires impose human patterns on the desert landscape even though the photographs never include people.