The purpose of art, then, is to lead us to a knowledge of a thing through the organ of sight instead of recognition. —Viktor Shklovsky
The Holy Land is a place people see in very different lights depending on their own faith, background and preconceived notions, and this is one reason the Israel/Palestine conflict has been so intractable. By using a false color infrared process to photograph the people of the Holy Land and how the various groups interact, I create timeless, ethereal images that force the viewer to question their ideas of who people are and what they believe about them. The infrared process makes the photos reminiscent of the color processes of the early 1900’s, alters the color of clothing and renders all skin tones virtually the same.
A Muslim woman shoots photos while touring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christians traditionally believe Jesus was crucified, buried and rose from the dead.
Muslims and tourists walk past the Dome of the Rock, one of the holiest sites in Islam.
Jews pray at the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.
Orthodox Christian priests carry a cross along the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus followed to his crucifixion.
A Muslim woman walks past a Christian icon in Jerusalem's Old City.
An Orthodox Jew, a Muslim woman and Christian tourists pass on a section of the Via Dolorosa.
Christian pilgrims pray at the Anointing Stone, where Jesus was believed to have been prepared for burial.
A Jewish man prays at the Western Wall.
Orthodox Jews, Muslims and Christians all travel the same section of the Via Dolorosa while visiting their respective holy sites in Jerusalem.
Muslim women pass Christian pilgrims on the Via Dolorosa, the road Jesus was believed to have traveled on the way to his crucifixion.
Arab Christians pass a family of Samarians on their way to Shabbat prayers in the Palestinian city of Nablus.
Muslims returning from prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque pass by a vendor selling Christian souvenirs.
Orthodox Jews pray at the Western Wall.
Two Orthodox Jews pass in a Jerusalem neighborhood.
Christian pilgrims pass under Israeli flags with the minaret of a mosque behind them as they carry a cross along the Via Dolorosa, the road Jesus is believed to have traveled on the way to his crucifixion.
An Orthodox Jewish man walks through the Mahane Yehuda market.
A Christian is baptized in the Jordan River, where John the Baptist was believed to have baptized Jesus.
A Christian pilgrim carries a cross along the Via Dolorosa.
An Orthodox Jewish man keeps his head down as he hurries past Muslim women while leaving Jerusalem's Old City through Damascus Gate.
Orthodox Christian nuns greet each other in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was believed to have been crucified, buried and resurrected.
An Anglican pastor holds a cross during a Good Friday procession.
A Muslim woman watches from her doorway as a Christian woman passes by.
Muslim girls socialize at the Damascus Gate entrance to Jerusalem's Old City.
Jews, Christians and Muslims all take a break on Jaffa Street, a pedestrian shopping area in the center of Jerusalem.
Muslims stream through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.
A "Visit Palestine" poster for sale at a shop stands in contrast to the Israeli flags flying from a pocket Jewish settlement in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.
A young Israeli carries his military-issued rifle on a visit to the Western Wall.
