An Exhibition of the Bay Area Photographers Collective (BAPC)
September 2006

Most group exhibits strive to show work that unites around a single subject or theme. “All Over the Map,” in contrast, seeks to demonstrate the sweeping diversity of talent within the Collective. Some of the photographs are of places we recognize: Paris at night, rural China, the Mojave Desert. Others show us a glimpse of familiarity before the strange and imagined take over: doors opening to spectral rooms, the soft blur of faces and bodies in transit. Coming from where? Going where?

This exhibit presents an exploration of the literal to the symbolic, spanning the spectrum of photographic technology, from platinum to digital. Variety is also reflected in size as well: The smallest image is 2″ x 3,” the largest, 24″ x 55.” Abstracts, close-ups, travel, documentary, interiors, urbanscapes, these images roam the territory between the delicate and intimate and the bold and expansive.

When we want to know where we are headed, we use a map. The images in this show represent landmarks along the individual routes our members have taken.

Bill McClaren