Looking through the tree’s, Mt. Ida, Troy NY, November 2011 – © Michael Bach

Michael Bach is someone that I’ve only met on facebook.

But his straight forward and matter of fact images help me to see him as a person with a sincere regard for what is happening to his world.

In fact, we might appreciate that what he shows us is a view that has been happening in every corner of the planet – including yours and mine.

Like the works of many of my friends, these images are a look at a much larger picture.

His images are about displacement. They are about the destruction and loss of landscape, desperation, discarded objects, and the dislocation of human lives. They are a look at our inhumane disregard for the homeless and the degradation of the natural world. They take us into the perimeter of the manmade and the facade of contemporary nature. They are the view from the edges.

Shawl, Mt. Ida, Troy NY, May 2012 – © Michael Bach

Michael has been working with an 8×10 view camera and black and white film. For the past few years, he has been shooting images about the Mt. Ida area of Troy, New York, a landscape rich in history, and until recently occupied by the homeless.

“I’m dancing on the edge of beauty, sorrow, and repulsion!” – Michael Bach

“There is a palpable sense of sadness and despair felt when walking in the woods and fields of Mt. Ida, as if a dark veil enshrouded the landscape. While stumbling across remnants of failed lives and desperate attempts of domesticity one cannot help to think of those forced to endure such hardship. In 2010, The city of Troy, NY, permanently banished the homeless from the land. It is then that I chose to carry out the project “Displaced” to be a memorial to the landscape and a testament to the people who called this place home.

In photographing, I was less interested in literally documenting what I came upon and more in the narrative contained in the personal ephemera, belongings, and structures for living. I wanted to avoid personal bias or the overt social and political implications of the subject matter, allowing the spirits of this neglected landscape to shine through. The photographs are intentionally left open ended. In the end, the viewer will have their own personal experience when viewing the work.

During the time I have been working, construction projects have threatened and overtaken portions of the land. I dutifully photographed what was to be eliminated. Presently, the construction of another building has eradicated the landscape once more. Eighty percent of what I have photographed no longer exists. This includes the landscape itself, as well as what was left behind by the homeless. I fear that much of the land of Mt. Ida will, slowly but surely, succumb to this conflicting relationship between man and nature.” – Michael Bach – Troy New York

You can see more of Michael’s work here.

Camera Shadow – © Michael Bach

All Images are the property of Michael Bach. Used by permission of the artist. © Michael Bach