Under The Connector

When I lived in Charleston, South Carolina I became aware of a highway bridge that connects marshy island communities and their beaches to the mainland peninsula of Charleston, the city. This Connector, as it called, is a monumental path lifted high above the marsh and the sea. It is a clean cement arc while underneath lies something else entirely. To get underneath one must ride a bicycle up to a section where one ramp passes under another. Here you can hop over the side onto a cement platform and begin to explore. Underneath is pluff mud – decaying plant matter with the signature funky, low tide smell of the Lowcountry. There are wild fox, crabs, abandoned sailboats, homeless encampments, and other mucky treasures. I photographed under The Connector for three years. For me, this space seemed like the perfect metaphor for man literally placing himself above nature. It was also a place for me to work out some internal struggles in my personal life. The full-figurative images of me were made in collaboration with Leslie McKellar.