Michelle Levante – Bodies of Dirt

Posted by Fabio 28 April 2010

Bodies of Dirt is an ongoing photographic project that explores the relationship between primeval nature and our visceral reaction to such spaces. Phase One is a nearly complete set of black and white image that will be presented as both large scale photographs to be displayed, and as a handmade artist book.

Some of the images depict primeval forest areas in the Catskills and Adirondack regions of New York. Instead of focusing on bucolic panoramic images, Levante chose the macrocosm of these woods such as up rooted trees, exposed roots, basal scarring on trees and textures in the dirt. Along side these images are photographs of the human body emerging and disappearing in the dirt and landscape.

The struggle humans create with the natural world, with our bodies, and with each other, especially along gender lines are frequent themes he explore. He may reduce an image down to a macroscopic level in order to concentrate and abstract his subject, evoking a strange new beauty. Most of his work is photographic in nature, but he also work on installations and time-lapse video.