Aporia

In APORIA, photographer Andrew Waits addresses the phenomenon of rapid growth being experienced in many urban locations around the world. A desire to explore the underpinnings of a rapidly changing environment, and how it demonstrates itself on one’s psyche, is at the core of this work. APORIA is the culmination of this effort, a dreamlike narrative pieced together from the observed landscape.

APORIA does not presume to answer questions regarding the ills of the urban development. It rather presents a fictional narrative in an effort to approach a feeling that something is amiss. There is a limit to what can be observed in an environment so deeply woven with complexity. As Waits has said, “For the most part, we are disconnected from the underlying mechanisms of the system in which we live. APORIA attempts to highlight this disconnect and struggle for understanding and connection. Perhaps in doing so, it can provide a brief glimpse into what lies underneath the system where the collective psyche of a population finds its covert habitation.”

Andrew Waits (b. 1983) is a native of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. He studied Political Science and Communications at the University of Washington and recently completed his MFA in photography at the University of Hartford. His first body of work, Boondock, dealt with the ways in which survival dictates fluidity of location, interconnectivity, and the concept of home. His new book, Aporia, addresses rapid urbanization and how it manifests itself in the physical environment and latent psychology of a population. The maquette for Aporia was awarded the 2018 Fiebre Dummy Award. He currently resides in Oakland, California.