Craig for Lodger.

Stop, look up, look down. What has always been there that has gone unnoticed? What is now there that has not been before? The ever-changing balance between human output and the reclamation of the earth is on display.

Amanda Guerra’s photographs, taken in Portugal and Spain, zero in on the often dramatic edge between architecture and nature. While honoring pure design and history, contrasts between sky, material structure, shadow and green growth create moments that are both liminal and finite. Jo Swanson takes snapshots of trash she finds on walks (DISCARDS). Illuminating the detritus of our consumer culture, questions begin to arise as to how these items came to be discarded, and why. They ask, “what does our trash say about us, individually and collectively?”

Both artists invite us to pause and appreciate the mysterious, poetic contours and patterns of what is just above or below. When shown together, rhythms of form are revealed. Subject and setting become interchangeable; an Art Deco building edging into the blue sky like an X-Acto cut-out, a cast-off, pink ribbon searing into fresh-cut grass. The photos reveal unexpected beauty and tension between the world we are given, and what we leave behind, both carelessly and intentionally.