These sculptures are made from ink-jet printed night vision photos from soldier's blogs in Afghanistan and Iraq. My dad was a helicopter pilot in the National Guard and talked about the precariousness of flying with night vision goggles--during what is called Nap of the Earth flying (NOE), a military tactic that involves flying as close to the tree line as possible, which is difficult and risky. During these flights he was awe-struck by the overwhelming number of stars that were made visible with night vision amplification. I can see in these night vision photographs taken by Americans on the field of battle something of what my father saw in the landscape during his military maneuvers; visuals both coldly strategic and strangely sublime.
-Selena Kimball