The following photographs speak of two fascinations in my life. The first being the almost universal function of walking. The second being an infatuation with the concept of an ‘empty space’.

The act of walking is more than just a necessary function. Walking is a way to explore and hunt for something greater than you and I. For the observant and attentive, a walk allows for one to discover elements in our daily life that easily go unnoticed in a fast-paced urban society like that of eastern Massachusetts. Coupled with a camera, a walk now becomes a form of hunting. A walk turns into rudimentary documentation work with the camera. My curious observations of the environments I exist in are turned permanent with the act of photography.

It is implied with every doorway, window sill, and stained facade that a human was once there. To speak broadly, anything other than a faraway animal path in the wilderness carries this implication. The cities in which these spaces exist are: Lowell, Cambridge, and Woburn, Massachusetts. All three of these locations are incredibly urbanized. My purpose was not to capture human existence in cities, but rather to capture such without the appearance of humans. The spaces which we occupy are clear to us.

These photographs exist and so do their inhabitants. I do not know who lives or works in these locations. I know only that someone was/has/is in said location. I know that through the means of walking, I am able to document these moments for my own pleasure(and maybe yours).

All photographs captured in medium format, FUJIFILM GFX 50R.

Michael Page 2022