Landscapes of the Forgotten Forts

Current Projects / Landscapes of the Forgotten Forts

For the last fifteen years I have photographed the three forts that protected the Puget Sound during WWI and WWII. Over fifty years has passed since the forts were decommissioned. Abundant vegetation now engulfs the structures and yet—the landscape tells a story. By photographing Fort Worden and her sister forts Flagler, and Casey, I’ve been able to capture the abandoned forts entwined with the rich landscape while bringing to mind the vision of fortresses filled with American soldiers prepared to defend the Puget Sound.

With many of the images from the Forts series I have collaborated with the poet Kelli Russell Agodon. She responds to my photographs with poems that explore the history of the fort, personify the soldiers who were stationed there, and interpret what it is like to be there now, juxtaposed with the current affairs of our country. I offer Kelli images and she answers with a poem.

Both Kelli and I grew up with each of our fathers sharing numerous stories from their experiences in WWII and saw how it shaped them throughout their lives. This knowledge inspired us to create a reflective, lyrical history of the ghosts of the war’s past. It is easy to forget our local history, to see these areas as places to camp or mountain bike, but we are connected to the history and the stories hidden in time and place. The ongoing regeneration of the vast, lush landscape enveloping and surrounding the abandoned structures is a reminder they are gone—but somewhere new soldiers take their place and history continues to evolve.

I have collaborated with Kelli Russell Agodon, an award-winning poet, editor and author from Washington State. www.agodon.com

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Altered Landscape, Fort Casey, Seattle Public Utilities Fresh Perspectives Purchases 2020, Group Exhibition, Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery, Seattle, WA, 2020, (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Worden, Summer, Archival Pigment Print, 2008-2022, (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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After The War Delivers, Fort Worden, Archival Pigment Print, 2008-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Worden, Winter, Archival Pigment Print, 2008-2019

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What Remains, Fort Worden, Archival Pigment Print, 2012-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Worden, Summer, Archival Pigment Print, 2012-2022

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Remember, Fort Worden, Archival Pigment Print, 2012-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fall Fog, Fort Worden, Archival Pigment Print, 2012-2019

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Imagining Soldiers, Fort Worden, Archival Pigment Print, 2016-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Flagler, Spring, Archival Pigment Print, 2009-2019

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The Monarchs Disappear, Fort Casey, 2014-2019, Archival Pigment Print (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Worden, Summer, Archival Pigment Print, 2015-2023

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Fort Flagler, Fall, Archival Pigment Print, 2012-2022

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Her Story, Fort Worden, Archival Pigment Print, 2008-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Worden, Fall, Archival Pigment Print, 2008-2022

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Instead Of War, Fort Worden, Archival Pigment Print, 2008-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Flagler, Summer, Archival Pigment Print, 2013-2022

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Landscape of Empty, Fort Casey, Archival Pigment Print, 2016-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Flagler, Spring, Archival Pigment Print, 2016-2022

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Fort Casey, Spring, Archival Pigment Print, 2009-2019

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Altered Landscape, Fort Casey, Archival Pigment Print, 2014-2019 (poem by Kelli Russell Agodon)

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Fort Worden, Spring, Archival Pigment Print, 2015-2022

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Fort Worden, Fall, Archival Pigment Print, 2015-2022

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Fort Worden, Winter, Archival Pigment Print, 2016-2022

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The Eclipse Went Wild, Fort Flagler, Archival Pigment Print, 2016-2024