"Night Light" is a series of photos contrasting the dark of night with light sources. It would be honest to admit the juxtaposition of light and dark is heavily influenced by Edward Hopper, especially "Nighthawks" and "Automat." The mood of the photos and series concept as a whole was shape and to some degree by Gregory Crewdson's photo art. Crewdson's latest series, "Eclipse of Moths," debuted in 2020 as the pandemic was enveloping us all. Many have seen this work as capturing the dispirited times of living in the pandemic. And, it does do that. But, "Eclipse of Moths" set out to illustrate the "... American melancholy ... for the past three decades." Thus, his subject content - the "forgotten America" of the post-industrial small town malaise - seems crafted more as a general reflection on the economic backwaters of our society. "Night Light" is intended to be a more direct commentary on our collective condition in the darkest days of the pandemic. We were collectively thrust into an environment of darkness and isolation. We kept hoping to reach fields of light - an escape from it all ... But, seemingly elusive. The light is simultaneously tantalizing hopeful and frustratingly unobtainable.
No one appears in the photos of "Night Light." It is populated only by the viewer. Each of us was alone ... each of us yet still making our own way from the darkness to the light.
"Night Light" is also produced as a YouTube video. It is collaborative effort with music composed by Richard Johnson. Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMNprKEqV4Y
