Building Violence," an exhibition of work by Michael J. Dalton II at Third Street Gallery, reveals the unfolding of this young Brooklyn photographer's artistic vocabulary and vision.Two years before his 2008 graduation from New York's School of Visual Arts, Dalton already had embarked on chronicling the theme he cares so deeply about: how, as a landscape evolves, a certain violence must occur, whether through destruction, construction, or just letting it lie fallow. His childhood experience, shuttling back and forth between his separated parents, prompted him to begin documenting the constant change taking place in the industrial and commercial Northeast Corridor.
Those early memories of seeing dockyards and factories being demolished by developers stayed with him. So, as an art-school grad needing a job that would support his work as a photographer, he became a construction-site laborer and joined Laborers' Union 731 in New York. He now works at some of the same locations he photographs.
Reflecting the dramatic changes he has seen around him are 13 featured images of landscapes, buildings, and people, chosen from 40 photos he has made so far in the series with his 8x10 camera. These he prints himself on 30-by-40-inch chromographic photographic paper, then mounts on Plexiglas.
Everything here is imbued with a curious air of anxiety, except Dalton's fellow construction crew members and his shop steward, Ray. And oh yes, the odd concrete "tree brace" at Brooklyn Botanic Gardens' subway stop, which looks menacing but actually rescued a threatened tree.
Finally, it's left up to viewers to decide whether the "evolution" of land Dalton pictures is good or bad for the community.
Third Street Gallery, 58 N. Second St. To Aug. 4. Wednesday through Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Free. 215-625-0993.
