Turco Photography Blog

I thought an appropriate way to start this blog would be to talk about this image for a minute. I made this photograph, called "Bedsprings" in 1999. At the time I was in the midst of a project working inside abandoned houses. For me the idea of the project was to make photographs without affecting the scene in any way. In other words I never placed anything, never used artificial light, and nothing was ever removed. So in this case the springs were leaning against the wall just like this. Over the years since I shot it, this photograph has grown to be sort of iconic to me. And for lots of people I meet doing the art show circuit, it's how they remember who I am. I can't count the number of times I've heard "oh, you're that bedsprings guy" or something to that effect.
I think what draws so many people into this image is it's various juxtapositions. It's simple but it's very complex, it's old and rusty but somehow very fresh and new, it all about line on one hand but all about that color on the other, it's a photograph, but it reads almost like a pen and ink drawing from a distance. There is also something almost meditative about it that I've always noticed. In fact I have this image in our bedroom and often find myself staring at it while I'm thinking about one thing or another. It's easy to get lost in all those circles.