DUNE.BLUFF.BEACH.OCEAN 2023

There is a reason artists and writers have long found their way to the dunes and ocean beaches of Cape Cod. As I allude to in my Statement, the intersection of varied elements (wind, sea, tides, sky, sand, light, etc.) creates an environment with palpable depth and intensity -- a true power place. People have sought inspiration and renewal in this expanse of sand, water and light for generations, and it's the defining environment of the Outer Cape.

The establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore in 1961 preserved these landscapes in their mostly natural and primitive state, including a smattering of simple man-made structures clinging to the dunes in The Province Lands. The Dune Shacks, originally built out of flotsam and jetsam by the 'surf men' who patrolled the outer beaches watching for shipwrecks in the 19th and early 20th centuries, were adopted, in a sense, and re-built or built from scratch by artists and writers beginning in the 1920's. So began the presence of a human creative and spiritual energy in this most elemental of environments.

When the Seashore was established, the Park Service wanted to raze the shacks, but public opposition eventually forced the Park to offer owners of the shacks lifetime leases to continue using their dwellings, after which the Park would reclaim them. Many of the leases have now expired, and in 2023, the Park announced a bidding process for 10-year leases on eight of the shacks, essentially eschewing the notion that the shacks should be considered traditional cultural properties. The proposed leases appear to be structured such that commercial lessees will not be prohibited, which means that real estate concerns could obtain leases for the purpose of renovating and renting the shacks for substantial amounts. The potential effect of this process (which has been shrouded in bureaucratic layers of non-disclosure) is unclear, but one thing does seem certain: the dune shack community will change, and it will almost certainly become less elemental, spiritual and organic.

The dunes in The Province Lands of Provincetown, as well as the bluffs of Truro and Wellfleet, are simply astonishing places, fragile landscapes composed primarily of sand, fully exposed to the powerful forces of the ocean and its weather. Walking through these places one cannot fail to sense the elemental power that flows through all the various permutations of intersection. It's often difficult to maintain some semblance of perceptual balance, as it feels like you're being buffeted by unseen waves of force coming from multiple directions at once. It can be a transformative and inspirational experience.

While the elements that comprise the title of this series are distinct topographical zones with distinct characteristics, they form what is essentially a coherent visual and elemental whole through their ongoing, inseparable interactions. I've photographed the quieter, less turbulent bay side of the Cape for many years, but somehow never seriously turned my attention to the landscape of the ocean side. I can't help wondering what took me so long, but given the impending changes that now loom large, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to photograph The Province Lands and the shacks as they currently exist, before potentially disturbing change descends.