Beauty in Ruin

The Aesthetics of Decomposition

Interview by Kadence Englehardt. Portrait by Michael Clinard

Kara Higgins is an independent photographer – originally from the East Coast, now lives in Seattle when she’s not working on her art. Though she has lived most of her life in predominantly urban spaces, she finds inspiration is just the opposite: the formerly urbane, but now distressed from being reclaimed by nature. She chases that moment on the open road, is awed by the power of nature and adores nothing more than finding chaos in a world that is constantly orderly.

Kadence Englehardt: Tell me a little about your interests in art creation.

Kara Higgins: I’ve always created art; drawing, sculpture, stained glass, painting, pottery. It always finds a way out of me.

KE: Why is photography a good medium for your interests?

KH: It’s a way of designing what is happening in one moment – the instant. I used to use only film, but I made the transition to digital. I started with a Pentax K1000 and that was indestructible, and now I use a metal frame Nikon. I need something durable, because I can be somewhat hard on materials. I started with more photojournalistic stuff, but I’ve strayed from that human interaction and happenings, and gotten more into the spaces.

KE: What’s your particular vision?

KH: I don’t know if I have a ‘vision’ per se; more of an attraction to design and composition. I find decomposition really aesthetically interesting. I want to do photography in a style that speaks to me, and compose that. It’s somewhat like hide-and-seek: finding the chaos and determining a way to add design and my style in a way that I want to show it. It’s about that moment and capturing it: it’s never repeated.

KE: How do you describe your style?

KH: It depends on what I’m shooting. If I find an abandoned car by the side of the road, I tend to go for the abstract. However, I do take “establishing shots”, starting with a long shot and then move closer to the subject until it becomes an abstract.

KE: What types of subjects are you drawn to?

KH: Anything that speaks to me really, but distressed images in particular. Beauty in ruin: as much as man keeps trying to put his mark on the natural world, nature just keeps kicking his ass. I love to examine that process: how nature is so impenetrable. I just drive and let the road take me there, on our road trips.

KE: Where do you find places where nature is impenetrable?

KH: It really doesn’t take nature long to “go wild”, so a vacant lot that wasn’t interesting in the fall becomes more interesting by spring. Basically, any place that hasn’t had a development boom in the last 5 years has potential.

KE: Why do you take road trips?

KH: Seattle has become very developed; it’s really clean now. But, mostly to just get out on that open road, to find a place that is distressed or decomposing or abandoned. I just get out of the car and wander until I see something: its more about self-discovery. Convertibles are important though – and sunscreen! [laughs]

KE: So, the road trips are your inspiration?

KH: I don’t think the road trips are my inspiration, rather the photography inspires the road trips.

KE: How often do you go on the trips?

KH: Normally we take big ones at least once a year, but we haven’t really been planning anything for the near future as of right now. We usually go to Vegas at least once a year, to visit a friend there, but we didn’t go this year. I’ve really been pining for the open road again, but money’s tight for everyone right now.

KE: What places have you been?

KH: We’ve been all over the place: Greece, England, big cross-country ones. The biggest we’ve done was two-and-a-half months: we drove I-90 from Seattle to Massachusetts, down the east coast to Philly, Savannah, into Florida, stopped in New Orleans – pre-Katrina. I really loved that city: amazing, up to St. Louis, hitting all the little towns that were on the way. Many of them are dying from the lack of river traffic. Then took Route 66 to LA, and back up to Seattle. It was the biggest, and it was great. I think there are only a few states we haven’t visited, but they are rare. Part of the joy of the trips is the open road – I don’t like to go too fast though: over 120, you can’t hear the radio! [laughs]

KE: What type of the trip is most productive for capturing the moment?

KH: The trip that is less structured tends to be the most productive.

KE: So, you capture on the road, and then what do you do with those images?

KH: Not much. Every image I print out is full frame and color accurate. What you see is what was there. No photoshop manipulation. I used to shoot with e100-vs (slide film), which gave me a wonderfully saturated image. Now I’ve “gone digital” so it goes from the camera to the computer to the printer.

KE: Why do you make art?

KH: It’s not about creating, but capturing. I don’t make art, it’s more unconscious. Something grabs me and I just do it – sort of instinctively.

KE: If not art, what do you call the pieces that hang on the wall?

KH: I’d say “my interpretation of life” but that’s way too pretentious. How about, souvenirs of my road trips.

Kara Higgins is based out of the Bemis Building: 55 S Atlantic St, Studio #307. The studio space she shares with Chromium Gothic Studios has a custom gallery space that opens for the annual Bemis Shows, as well as for private showings. For more information, please e-mail her at chromiumgothic@gmail.com