County Fair - Tazewell County Fair 5, VA, 2009

County fairs conjure ideas of tilt-a-whirls, stuffed animals, cotton candy, and blue ribbons. Rooted in local agricultural practices, fairs have been a ubiquitous part of American life for two centuries. In a reassuring way, they seem impervious to economic, technological, or fashion trends. For better or for worse, fairs look the same through the decades.

Though they are places to meet each other, there sure is a lot of loneliness at the fair. The series County Fair captures that duality: an adolescent boy looks up at the woman working the Hot Dog on a Stick stand as if she were a museum diorama; a little red haired girl haltingly befriends a robot; young couples, leaning and draped over each other, hide from the world in plain sight.

In my pictures, the dizzying atmosphere, colorfully decorated to provide amusement and distraction, is imbued with sadness and longing. These feelings, which permeate society, are laid bare at the fair. Sadness and longing circulate, intersect and incubate in the confined space between the ticket booths and the craft barns. People come out to participate and show, to see and be seen. Ultimately, connection remains elusive.