What at the time seemed chance in retrospect was providence-halfway through college I took a documentary photography class that opened me up to a whole new way of seeing. We photographed a community over the course of a semester, mine was a local Wal-Mart. Suddenly pictures were an evolving experiment. By looking deeper into my surroundings, into myself, my perception could change and grow.

This particular work is from a body of photographs made at carnivals, fairs, and festivals. It happened naturally and without my planning. These places resonate with me for their intensity of color, their sense of play, abandon, and freedom. They are a space for entertainment outside the everyday, a dynamic and colorful microcosm. But there is always a sense of gravity there too. When you let your hair down you show you're ready for change. We reveal ourselves in play.

Photography has been an exciting journey for me thus far. I can't imagine not photographing-it just keeps happening all the time. I divide my time evenly between photography and sculpture, and I find the two intertwined in fascinating ways. Both are central to my practice as an artist.

kmp401@soton.ac.uk