Observations of a Desert Settlement
Twentynine Palms.
This work examines how people inhabit and build within an arid and demanding environment. It considers the visible traces of infrastructure and how they sit within the surrounding landscape, where natural forces remain dominant. Rather than presenting the desert as empty or untouched, the photographs focus on its ongoing use, with human infrastructure persisting within the landscape. The conditions of heat, distance, and exposure shape the terms of habitation, often requiring adaptation to an environment that resists it. Situated within the context of the contemporary American West, the project reflects on the balance between nature and infrastructure in a place defined by scarcity, remoteness, and scale.
“Welcome to Twentynine”
An ongoing project.
It was late in the morning, and the sun was already fierce. Heat settled heavily over the street as I stepped out of the hire car, camera in hand. It felt good to be here, to spend time photographing the town.
Before I could fully arrive, a man ran past at an easy, steady pace and called out, “Welcome to Twentynine.”
I smiled, slightly surprised, and called back a quick thank you before he disappeared into the brightness.
I’m not sure what drew me back here. Before the trip, I had a sense that passing through wouldn’t be enough this time. I wanted to walk the streets without purpose, to drive slowly, to really pay attention.
There was a stillness to everything under that hard, open sky. Low buildings stretched across wide, empty lots, their walls sun-faded and uneven, marked by years of heat and small repairs. The town felt quiet, but not empty, just unhurried, holding itself in place.
And then the palm trees, tall and slender, are almost out of proportion with everything around them. They rose above the rooftops, calm and unmoving, as if they had been there long before and would remain long after.