statement.

This is a conceptual photographic piece I created in response to intimate partner violence for a special project. The image takes place in a bedroom — a space in a home that should be private and safe.

I built the bedroom at full scale with my father. We constructed the walls, hung doors, wallpapered, painted, and distressed the space by hand. Furniture, props, and wardrobe were intentionally sourced — some from my family, others thrifted or purchased specifically for the project, including the wedding dress and lace used as a veil. The only structural adjustment made for perspective was shortening the length of the bed slightly so it would read correctly on camera.

I had originally intended to install and photograph the entire structure on the Bonneville Salt Flats, but the build was too large and heavy to transport safely. Instead, I photographed the landscape independently and later merged the two environments in the final composition.

The original floor in the built room was a black-and-white checkerboard. Although visually striking, it felt too theatrical. In post-production, I replaced it with wood to ground the scene in a more familiar domestic reality. That is the only element in this piece that was altered digitally.

The open expanse of the salt flats represents the vast world — something that can feel impossibly distant when your life has narrowed to the size of small spaces you cannot see beyond. But there is always a way out.

This piece was created from lived experience.