Ansen Seale's "The Corn Crib"

is a permanent installation at The Land Heritage Institute, in San Antonio, TX.

Gene [Elder]: ". . . [Y]ou put photos in an old rock shed.

[Seale]: My only instructions were that the piece had to be about the land and that it had to contain photography. With those wide-open parameters in mind, Penny Boyer, Michael Mehl and I went scouting around looking for a location and a project.

[Elder]: I came. I saw. It was a long walk to the corn crib.

[Seale]: Yes. On this 1200 acres are several human habitation sites that vary in age from 10,000 years old to the mid 1970's when it ceased operations as a farm. One of the complexes of buildings was constructed in the 1850s using the stacked-stone method of construction. Most of the buildings have fallen to ruin, but the one that remains was a place where corn was stored in the winter to feed animals (and perhaps humans as well). . . .

[Elder]: Unusual site. I expect there won't be that many people that come to see it.

[Seale]: Unusual indeed. And that's exactly the point. The viewer must travel and experience the land in order to gain the fullest appreciation of the art. This place was perfect for the installation because it provides protection from the weather. Photography is an inherently fragile medium and until recently, its place in public art installations has been limited. So I was thrilled when I realized that this small structure would protect the photos, and the photos would protect the building, both by keeping people from touching the walls and, in a larger sense, by giving the building a purpose.


The photos are back-lit – they're the only light-source in the space – and powered by solar panels. (Click on the images for larger versions – the image at left is esp. amazing.)

Thanks to Elder for his interview; more at San Antonio Current. Best collection of pics plus more work by Seale on his site, here. Review at Glasstire