In May 2007, Griffith Park erupted in fire again, a fire more extensive than the Vermont Canyon fire of 1997. At least 817 acres of chaparral burned to the ground or almost a third of the park’s environs, and the park was closed to foot traffic until 2010. When I returned with my English Setter, Cricket Hoover, for our daily walks, I was keenly aware of the newly installed infrastructures that the Park established to protect it from more large-scale wildfires.
Burned Again (2010-2013) joins my earlier project Burned… (1998-1999) as another record of the aftermath of a fire. Following a similar methodology, I hiked into the Park with my 4X5 field camera and began to make images, but this time, I focused my attention on the structures that were established by the Parks Department to help fight and reduce future devastating uncontrolled burns. The water hydrants, sand bags, new debris basins, repaired roads and plantings encourage the return of vegetation and protect it from extensive damage. The park can regenerate after the fire, and perhaps future loss can be guarded against by a more profound and comprehensive defensive network. These images show a park filled with the evidence of urban control and labor to preserve the appearance of nature in our city center.
Burned… and Burned Again form the core projects of an extensive and multi-year photographic series of my wanderings in Griffith Park. I am currently working on a book devoted to the park which includes images from both series as well as an appendix based on daily walks and digital snapshots gathered from 2001 to 2013.