Dairy Center Photo Exhibit

For architects, viewing and photographing natural and man-made environments can be part of an ongoing pedagogy which contributes to learning how to design structures that are an expression of nature, rather than in conflict with it. In this exhibit, I combined photographs of vernacular architecture from hill towns on the island of Corsica with photographs of the canyons and deserts of southern Utah. The juxtaposition of these images at times blurs the distinction between man-made and wilderness environments, and illustrates that under the right circumstances man can build an environment of beauty that parallels that of nature.

Though they are half a world away from each other, both the island of Corsica and the deserts of southern Utah display a rich, mineral environment. The hill towns of Corsica could almost be an extension of the rock formations of Utah. The human habitats there were created by local economies of limited reach, in a direct and frugal manner. Their resulting beauty constitutes a deep source of inspiration for the creation of our built environment.