Nebraska

Nebraska

2023
Bas-relief in salvaged wood, 117 x 180 x 16cm

Three examples of nineteenth century stereo cards


Stereoscopic photo-prints were very popular around the turn of the century. Before mass tourism they were a way for people to connect to famous landmarks and sites all around the world. You can still find them and use them as a portal to a world that is long gone. The Nebraska relief is based on a stereoscopic card from 1908 depicting the “Platte Canon, South Park and Alpine Pass”. The name of the Platte river is a French translation of the original name the local Otoe people had for it. Nebraska means “flat water”. A narrow train track looks overwhelmed by the menacing rock faces beside it. You can only see a short distance ahead. Nobody knows what is waiting around the corner.

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Part of the Alluvial Plain exhibition at Ron Mandos gallery, Amsterdam in December 2024.