This series started as an exploration of mountains as symbols of eternity within human lifespans. It was predominately inspired by the Yucca Mountain Project; a waste solution for the "permanent" storage of high level spent nuclear waste in the Southern Nevada desert. Yucca Mountain is located within the Western Shoshone Nation, and has has spiritual value to both the Western Shoshone and the Paiute. Pared down to a simple form, the project allows one to imagine Yucca Mountain itself essentially becoming a grave marker above a nuclear burial vault.
The mountains in this project, while not geographically distant from Yucca Mountain, bear a completely different context. Below are the 8 major mountain ranges which surround the Las Vegas Valley in Nevada. In some images if you look closely you can see where mountain meets city. This was an exercise in reconsidering landscape, and the arbitrary boundaries we impart that in turn make it seem knowable, and surmountable. Reduced in this way, these massive geological formations that shape ecosystems and cut across skylines, come to bear more of a resemblance to simple stone markers.
Mt. Charleston
La Madre Range
Las Vegas Range
McCullough Range
Mt. Potosi
Red Rock Cliffs
River Mountain
Sunrise Mountain
