Buzzy Sullivan explores the interaction of humans with their physical landscapes. He grew up in Montana, which is often known as “The Last Best Place” and is also home to the largest Superfund site in the United States. Montana’s duality of pristine wilderness and toxic remains formed his interest in the human/nature interface. Buzzy received his BFA in Photography from Oregon College of Art & Craft in 2013, and will earn his MFA in Photography from Arizona State University in 2017. He currently teaches photography at Chandler Gilbert Community College in Chandler, AZ.
Between Horizons
“If you don’t know where you’re from, you’ll have a hard time saying where you’re going.” –Wendell Berry
Photography has always played a major role in western cultures understanding of landscape as a physical, psychological, cultural, and geological frontier. With this body of work I am concerned with landscape as an active and participatory concept that is constantly being reshaped and challenged by human innovation and ideas. It acknowledges that the environment is dynamic and constantly changing, retaining its ability to reconstruct itself. The desert holds the weight of centuries of idealization and reverence while succumbing to the very real influences of human engagement. The images elegantly hint at environmental concerns, while also drawing inspiration from the past using historical photographs as reference points. With my images I find myself within the long continued dialog between photographers and landscape, where the land is man’s protagonist, his hero, and his adversary.
To see more work, check out Buzzy’s website.