Hi there! My name is Allen Morris. I am a photographic artist originally from a small town in rural eastern Oregon, now living and teaching at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. Beyond photography, I am an avid baker, knitter, hiker, and coffee fiend - a generally caffeinated creative. My work uses all sorts of processes related to photography with a specific focus on the broad concept of Place. I'm very interested in how the places that we come from, the places that we live, and the geography that we call our own influences how we relate to the greater world. I am also interested in how those facets of our existence impact the opportunities that are afforded to us, the histories that we inherit and absorb, and how we define ourselves.

@allenm82

Process

I am such a magpie for processes, I collect them randomly and add them to my repertoire. The images that I've included show an overview of one of the latest processes that I've added to my collection - 3D scanning/photogrammetry. Thinking about the different ways that we can use light and the core kernels of photography in an expanded way is something that really interests me. For this project I was interested in capturing scanned data of these amazing quartzite border markers that delineate the boundary between North Dakota and South Dakota - my new home. I wanted to see if I could replicate them using 3D printing techniques and push through my fear of working in the third dimension. Funny enough, I've always considered myself a "photographer's photographer," in that in the past I've been only interested in making tack sharp focus, well exposed prints that were free of dust spots and anything perceived to be non-traditional. But after completing my graduate degree at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, I sort of threw that all away. I also never thought of myself as anything resembling a sculptor, but I suppose if I can think things through the lens of a photograph - then anything is possible. That's exactly what happened with this project. Take a bunch of photos, process them through some fantastic software, and voila - a printable "image" in three-dimensions!

Influences

I am such a fan for a good story - so I look to Podcasts and audiobooks as a way to almost dissociate and drift away from reality. It allows my mind to think freely, to be unencumbered. I also incorporate a handful of "outdoor" podcasts into my library as that is where a vast majority of my work returns - the land. I also spend a lot of time looking at the work of other artists whose work aligns with my own and also those whose work does not! I've included two incredible influences on my current work - Terry Evans, a photographer whose work I encountered in grad school and was fortunate enough to see at the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, MO. It was an enormous retrospective exhibition and it really helped ground me into my new "biome" in life. Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest for most of my life, I needed a bit of an extra push to understand the Great Plains and the prairie landscape - Evan's did that for me. I've also included a screenshot of my undergraduate mentor and dear friend Jacinda Russell as an inspiration. She was the professor who helped me understand that a photograph is more than just an image on paper, that it's a communicative device and narrative form. Jacinda has also been a compass for me through the world of non-traditional processes and installation tactics!

Challenges

I'm currently dealing with some challenges in my practice. Having just completed a 4 year body of work, I'm running headlong into the abyss of not knowing what comes next. I think dealing with the fear and discomfort of moving into a new project without a firm grounding is really scary, something that I think all artists have to navigate at some points in their career. I've been returning to the land, the place that surrounds me and in doing so I think I have discovered what the next body of work and research will be for me! I've also been experimenting, and failing, with a number of non-traditional methods to try and incorporate more of the land directly into my work - not only visually but materially. Ultimately I did land on some promising results, but throughout the process of trial and error it dawned on me that my new exploration would be stronger as more traditional digital images...so I'm trying not to consider the time spent on experimenting with various processes as a waste of time, but rather as a practice of play that led me to my new work.

Reflection

I think that throughout my practice there has been an underlying concern about what "Place" means not only for me, as an individual, but how the history of a location can determine its present and future in the same way is it impacts those facets of human existence for those that call a place home. After spending 5 years in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, I've become all to familiar with the reliance on tourism industries and a colonized history to keep the area economically stable. I have begun to dip my toe into those waters and find it a nerve-wracking experience. I'm a people pleaser, I don't necessarily like to make waves - but sometimes I think it is important to work through those fears to make work that asks deep questions of a larger audience than myself. Of course "the more personal you make your work, the more universal it becomes" - someone told me that once, and it's held true for my career to date - but sometimes it's necessary to look outward to find yourself in the grand scheme of things. So, I'm hopeful that this new body of work examining my new homeland through a more critical lens will help me do just that, find myself in my new surroundings. Fear is good for us artists, it proves that we're moving into new and interesting territory - David Bowie said it best: “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place to do something exciting.”