Silver Eye

"I walk to the edge of the inhabited streets, and then, into the woods. Mysteries with clues about past lives and lives passing through fill the thicket. As I explore, I'm crossing a threshold into the city's recent, but hazy past, looking for stories - real and imagined - at the edge of the forest and beyond."

Pulling from his series, Hillsides, New England native and Pittsburgh transplant Sean Carroll looks to the unique topography of this city, and how its terrain has impacted built and urban spaces. Through climbing the maze of steps that trace the landscape of the city, to lowering his vantage point to look through alleyways or tree bushes, Carroll has gathered together images that reflect the strange and curious ways Pittsburgh demands its inhabitants and visitors alike consider how they traverse the city’s streets, hills and bridges. Indicating towards memories of the city's industrial past through an image of one of the many ubiquitous staircases that mill workers would use coming to and from their jobs, Carroll also includes moments of how the city feels today. Windows glow with Christmas lights in winter, and grey storm clouds gather amidst dramatic light on an afternoon in summer. The images in this installation keep viewers engaged with the distinctive rhythm of the city's topographic highs and lows, as we get a chance to briefly follow Carroll along on a trek across town.

Participating Artist

1. Sean Carroll is an artist using photography and video raised in coastal Massachusetts, now living in Pittsburgh. He received an MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he lived for many years, and teaches within the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.