Lisa Levine
Virtually No Place Like Home Statement
In my travels I am fascinated by the personal sensibilities expressed in the exterior of homes. This personalization is what makes them homes, not just houses. The inhabitants of the houses I photograph exhibit symbols of belief, politics, identity, or a personal aesthetic on the canvas of their home’s exteriors and landscaping.
In an age of manufactured identity, this series feels like authentic Americana, where a home is a place of sanctuary and inhabitants can express their identities, beliefs and concerns safely to their community. Upon closer investigation of this view of Americana a crack in the facade is revealed. Here the "reality" of each image is brought into question.
These photos are constructions that assimilate fantasy with reality. I am interested in the social media "selfie" phenomenon where images that are manipulated through readily available modification apps present to viewers a more perfect vision of the self along with narratives of lives perfected. As in these selfies, the images in this series feel somewhat believable as they explore the quirky and unique appearances of homes from the small towns of America. Yet there is a disturbing feeling that something is manufactured here as well. But can we put our finger on exactly where the images depart from reality? As in the online selfie, here a kind of filter has gone up that blurs the lines between the “real” and the fabricated. Everything that is presented in these images existed in the observable world but not necessarily in the location or form in which I present them.
During the months of "sheltering in place" this series has taken on new meaning for me. These solitary houses speak of physical and social isolation; both the safety and comfort and the loneliness and exile of home. There’s a new sense of urgency in using the home's exterior to signal to others information about who lives within these walls and what is important to them.