Chorography: In search of the new American landscape

A term first encountered in Ptolemy’s “Geographia”, and more recently rehabilitated by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen, chorography’s purview has always been the provision of a systematic, detailed description and analysis of a region pushing against the rigid boundaries of geography by seeking to record more than mere topology. In her book “Tooth for an Eye”, Deborah Luster expands upon this concept, eloquently defining chorography as “a form of geography that describes the inherent attributes of a place. These attributes may be physical, sociological, conceptual, metaphysical or sensory”. Heavily influenced by geography throughout its brief history, the shaping of America’s sociopolitical landscape has developed distinct cultural fault lines ranging from the North-South ideological divide, to the “rugged individualism” credo of the West that continue to influence social attitudes throughout each region. And it is along these fault lines, at the crossroads of geography and human experience that our photographers’ subjects lie, each inhabiting their own liminal state: between the physical and digital realms; between land and sea; between racial divisions; between loads. For it “is in these cracks, in the interstices of social structure, that [we] are most aware of [ourselves]” (La Shure, 2005) Providing a visual exploration of the shifting social landscape in America at a time of heightened economic uncertainty and social alienation the exhibition “Chorography: In Search of the New American Landscape” features work from Joni Sternbach’s “SurfLand”, Nate Larson & Marni Shindelman’s “Geolocations: Tributes to the Data Stream”, Matt Eich’s “Sin and Salvation in Baptist Town”, and James Tribble & Tracey Mancenido’s “Hurry Up and Wait”.