Observations of Foreign Objects in a Remote Town explores the intersection between science and storytelling, perceived through the lens of photography. As a medium that boasts power and authority, photography remains a complex tool that inherently elicits the truth while simultaneously hinting at the possibility of fiction. These images, constructed using rocks found from the landscape surrounding the artist’s studio, are playfully rearranged and photographed within the context of a scientifically ambiguous narrative. Like images mined from forgotten archives, the photographs borrow reoccurring elements from space and forensic photography. Collectively, the work creates a mosaic that re-presents situations from a research project performed in a remote town. Weaving together images of possible lunar samples, scientific machinery and cosmic landscapes, this book forms an eclectic visual journal of a man and his relationship with the cosmos.
Containing 70 unique images across 99 pages, it also includes a fictional short story written in dialogue with the images by Australian playwright Emma Gibson.
Benjamin Freedman (b. 1990) is a photo based artist presently working in Toronto. He completed his BFA in photographic studies from Ryerson University in 2013. Before moving to Toronto in 2009, Ben was born and raised in Montreal.