CONCEPTUS
Multiple chapters of equal gravity, spread across many generations — tragedies of the past and possible cataclysmic events of the future — where lineage, folklore, life, and death intersect with the very existence of Saunders himself, all within the landscape of geography, culture, and societal events.
PREVIEW:
Chapter: THE WALLS UNIT, THE TEXAS DEATH CHAMBER
In 1849, Saunders’ historic great-grandfather became the very first inmate at Huntsville State Prison in Texas. Later pardoned by the Governor of Texas for false imprisonment, he would go on to become a Texas Ranger. Known as the “Walls Unit” for the tall red brick walls that surround it, the prison is home to the most active death chamber in America. The current method of execution is lethal injection; however, the original electric chair used to execute 361 inmates is now displayed at the Texas State Prison Museum. Saunders has begun photographing The Walls.
Chapter: SAUNDERS, WEST VIRGINIA
Saunders was conceived in 1972. On a rain-soaked night in 1972, in Saunders, West Virginia, approximately 132 million gallons of black waste coal slurry broke through a poorly designed and poorly maintained dam. The 30-foot-high wave raced down the hollow, destroying the town of Saunders and killing 125 people. Saunders has photographed where Saunders once stood.
Chapter: THE YELLOWSTONE CALDERA
Saunders was conceived within the Yellowstone Caldera in a cabin adjacent to the Old Faithful Geyser in 1972. The area experiences 1,500 to 2,500 earthquakes per year, and there have been 101 on the anniversaries of Saunders’ birth. Saunders is photographing each epicenter he can. His mother and father could not recall which cabin it was, so Saunders photographed every single one of them. Over 3 million people visit the Caldera annually, but Saunders does not know how many conceive there. He is photographing the evidence of their visit. The Yellowstone Caldera is a super-volcano, and Saunders has begun photographing volcanic evidence before it erupts.
These chapters & more, of CONCEPTUS, are all in progress