Range 220
Range 220 is a place where one can lose it’s self in a practice of combat. A place that resembles nothing completely real nor fictional.
A stage manufactured by the US Government to help train our military. Composed with more than 1500 buildings, a mosque, cemeteries with no context, burned down cars, middle eastern posters and banners on sides of buildings and market stalls with plastic fruits. All of these decorations are attempts to illustrate a broken down middle eastern town and really only leaving a complete impression of falsehood. But this place is far more than bad visual fundamentals. This place is not a real place with any true consequences for your actions. This is merely a massive playground for our military. An ongoing opera with small plays sprinkled over this playing field. Observed from cameras placed all across this stage so the rehearsal is shaped and rehearsed over and over again for that next insurgent in the middle east. The US was one of the first to create urban warfare ficities to train the military for effective combat and now many countries have fallen suit with the help of the United States for their own specific military efforts and future concerns.
Range 220 because it crosses a line of deception. I’m focused on exploring those complexities on what is real and what seems like a fantasy world. This place takes itself very seriously but I don’t see it that way.
Patterns
of
Erosion
'Patterns of Erosion' studies time, transformation, and transience—both in the natural world and in personal experience. This project began after the profound loss of my father and close cousin in 2021. Grief reshaped my perspective, much like wind and water reshape the land, leading me to examine how time erodes and redefines everything I know.
Erosion is not just a physical process but a slow, relentless force that shapes landscapes and memory. Revisiting these places became a way of reconnecting with my past, where the shifting terrain mirrored the shifting nature of remembrance. Returning was more than observation—it was a spiritual act, a quiet communion with the land and the evolving presence of loss.
I photograph with an 8x10 film camera, which demands patience and precision. Composing each frame requires me to slow down and notice subtle shifts in light, wind, and texture—changes that often go unnoticed. The inversion of these images reflects recurring dreams I had during my grief, in which familiar places appeared transformed. This work extends those visions, turning altered landscapes into something tangible.
'Patterns of Erosion' reflect this slow process—how time leaves its mark, how absence creates form. These images capture the earth's transformation and my own, revealing how grief and time intertwine to create something new. Tracing these changes, I find a quiet acceptance of what has passed, what remains, and what is still to come.
Flip if
u wish
Flip if
u wish
Boundaries evolving beyond
"Boundaries Evolving Beyond" emerges from personal experiences sparked by the profound losses I endured in 2021—the passing of my father and cousin. These losses set me on a path of introspection and healing, allowing me to discover solace and renewed purpose amidst my grief.
At its core, this project delves into exploring human existence within the vast cosmos. It serves as a visual metaphor, capturing the sense of insignificance we often feel when contemplating the universe's grandeur. By distorting familiar landscapes, I aim to convey the importance of embracing new perspectives and rekindling our connection with the land.
The choice of an 8x10 film camera introduced a methodical process that fostered a relationship with the land and time. Inverting the resulting images was not arbitrary but deeply tied to my recurring dreams during my time of grief. Within these dreams, the boundaries of reality blurred, revealing the need to transmute these visions into tangible art—a process reigniting my sense of purpose.
While taking photos, I assumed the role of an "Outlander" in our world, infusing the process with new excitement. My mission was to capture our land in a way that would be unfamiliar and yet calculated and documented. This is a perspective one would have if asked to photograph the planet Mars. This would embrace the transient nature of existence and find solace in life's ever-shifting tides.
While this journey continues. "Boundaries Evolving Beyond" reminds us that within impermanence, we discover the extraordinary within the ordinary, fostering a profound appreciation for fleeting moments that shape our lives.
*images copyright - Noel Spirandelli
