1 McFarland Dr
Warwick, NY 10990
USA
Take ice. Night after night throughout the winter, black ice forms across the landscape on streams, ponds, woods and wetland pools. Imagine that the ice both reflects and reflects on the starry skies that arch above. Then, imagine that, absent a snowfall, some set of living forces engraves these shimmering reflections into the ice’s dark, mirroring surface. A photograph of them would then be an image of glinting worlds and wonderful creatures far away from earth in the universe—and therefore also far from the present in cosmic time. Ice like this is just one example of the possible worlds Fred Buell’s new photographs discover and explore. Countless others are hidden in the commonplace natures everywhere under our feet.
Possible Worlds and their intriguing creatures appear in leaf litter, in rock and lichen improvisations, and in trees that become not just impressive physical objects, but also metaphors charged with meaning. Possible World photographers (a new breed created by COVID’s sharp restrictions on mobility) memorialize these. Thanks to the fact that the real creators of these possible worlds and creatures work unnoticed 24/7 all around us, the worlds they create will always be more abundant than what even the most determined photographers discover. Human beings can only hope for occasional samplings of these creators’ provocatively strange, playful, and sometimes astonishingly beautiful fine art compositions hidden everywhere in plain sight.
Frederick Buell is a writer and photographer who has lived in Warwick 30+ years. As a writer, he has had two books of poetry and three on literary and cultural history published. As a photographer, he has had three one-person shows. His blog can be found at fhbimagery.com. The Albert Wisner Public Library in Warwick, N.Y. will host this show throughout September. It will contain 20 large fine art photographs (and one small one) and further information about Possible World photography. Photographs: Top: Dance of Dark Energy. Top left: DIY Humanoid Kit, Some Assembly Required. Featured: The Art of Rock: Darkness Masked
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