Interrogations: American Military Landscapes

America’s displays of aircraft, tanks, and other weaponry can easily go unnoticed, despite their ubiquity. Yet, once acknowledged, they can seem a national preoccupation. With Interrogations: American Military Landscapes, I explore through landscape photography the contemporary narratives and cultural themes attached to America’s military. This work primarily focuses on the United States, but has also taken me to Northern Europe and Japan.

The significance of the military in American life and culture cannot be overstated. For 80 years it has underpinned global security and stability. Over half of our nation’s discretionary budget goes towards the military. The US has over 1,100 military bases worldwide. The largest, the White Sands Missile Range, encompasses 3,200 square miles. Since the founding of the nation, America has fought in over 240 conflicts with, at most, 20 years of peace cumulatively.

The locations of these displays are highly varied. Among them are commercial and non-profit spaces, farms, hospitals, military bases, museums, parks, presidential libraries, and schools.

By documenting these displays, a formative portrait of modern American culture emerges. What do they say about how we regard ourselves in the past and present, as well as our hopes and ambitions for the future?