Thalassophobia

This work started with research I was doing on the psychology of fear and anxiety rooted in abusive relationships. During the course of my research, I discovered the wealth of phobias that exist in the public.  With the photos I aim to illustrate phobias, take the object or idea, isolate it in space and emphasize its disturbing qualities by removing it from its context.  This approach serves to treat each phobia as an equal.  This serves the dual purpose of raising certain 'ridiculous' phobias to the level of seriousness of more severe fears, as well as the other way around.
This photograph is taken from the artist's series, Ten Most Popular Places to Dump a Body in the Columbia River Gorge.  The series evolved from her work on assignment for the L.A. Times Magazine in 1996 relating to a story about a body found on the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway. The irony of the beauty of the Gorge and the horror of the crime struck me; I felt compelled to find if this happens on a regular basis.  The photographic series is a result of her findings.