DEVIN KASPARIAN
About Like Soil, We Drift
I created this photo series to communicate an exploration of the US/Mexico border, in the form of a multimedia photo series. I ask the question why we cannot exist like the soil, drifting back and forth across manmade borders. After spending time in Tuscon, Arizona, as well as Nogales, Mexico, interacting with people and various perspectives of the current migration crisis, I couldn’t help but contemplate the complexities that have developed within a very broken, very unjust immigration system.
We watched dogs run underneath the border fence, crossing from Mexico to American soil, sniffing our shoes, and then crossing back over to their owners on the other side. For migrants from Mexico, it is not so easy – this artificial border splitting what was once one singular land has been the cause of wars, murders, endless suffering, and extreme polarized political conflict. My series explores these subjects, commenting on the journey of migrants, the militarized and highly surveilled state of the border, the people who live amongst the border wall everyday, and the idea that walls and boundaries cannot stop the travel of soil, and – like ever-changing natural land – cannot stop the travel of the people.
In this multimedia visual series, I have incorporated soil which has constantly drifted back and forth between the porous fences and walls of the US/Mexico border for centuries into the series as a visual framing device and as a messaging device for photos I shot on 35 millimeter film.
About Devin
Devin Kasparian is a photographer, videographer, and artist currently based in New York. He grew up in the small state of Rhode Island, exploring the fine arts for many years before transitioning into the digital world of visuals. He often explores alternative materials to create meaning in his work, attempting to blur the lines between photography, collage, sculpture and assemblage. While his focus is generally in portraiture, his style has quite a range – he likes to create work that looks like it could be found in a gallery, on an album cover, or very well could have been found at the bottom of your trashcan.