Kickstarter

UPDATE! — 6/12/12, just after 6pm, N 42° 22' 52.5396" W 71° 6' 55.53"

Wow, what an amazing first week!  The goal has now been reached–but the fundraising doesn't end...it actually keeps going until the clock runs out! This means that you can continue to get great rewards and continue to pledge! Thanks to all that have offered your support so far, it means so much, and for those still deciding, there is still plenty of time. 

With such a tremendous outpouring of support, I'd like to try to reach a new goal by July 14th – $15,000.  Your pledge will make a difference and is a great way to get a print at a very reasonable price. With additional support, I can: 

• Purchase a digital/video camera to document the trip and locations
• Revisit a few confluences that I photographed early on for better results (which will also require additional film)
• Acquire some better accommodations, rather than sleep in the car occasionally
• Hire an assistant to help with various duties 
• Any other ancillary items that always seem to pop up! 

Remember, you're not only supporting the project, you're getting a great reward and my sincere thanks! I look forward to updating you from the road!

Read more about the project below.  

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[Thanks to Matt Nash for helping with the video]

My name is Bruce Myren and I’ve been following a line. Not just any line, but the Fortieth Parallel, a degree of latitude that defined the settlement of a large portion of the western United States and one that is significant to the history of photography. I am obsessed with the idea of location and fascinated by measurement and the interplay between GPS coordinates and human’s understanding of where we are. In my project, “The Fortieth Parallel,” I am photographing the view from the confluence of this line of latitude with each whole degree of longitude across America. 

To date, the project has been largely self-funded and I have been fitting trips whenever I can. In 2009, I was gifted enough 8 x 10 transparency film to photograph the remaining locations; unfortunately, Kodak has recently announced the discontinuation of all of its transparency films and it is estimated that the processing will not be available for much longer. In additional, the 20 remaining confluences represent some of the most difficult points to reach, travel-wise.  For all of these reasons, and many more detailed below, I am inviting you to come along on my journey and help me complete this project.

From college, I knew of Timothy O’Sullivan’s photographs from the King Survey of the 40th parallel beginning in 1867 and from my father, who was studying to be a civil engineer, I acquired an interest in surveying. Not wanting to re-make O’Sullivan’s pictures or simply record topography, I see the project instead as a contemporary response to 19th-century surveys of the western US.

“The Fortieth Parallel” gradually crystallized into a large undertaking. Initially, I began to collect maps to see where this line was going to take me. Within the contiguous states, the 40th parallel roughly bisects the county: beginning on the New Jersey shoreline, it runs through southern Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri; marks the historical border of Kansas and Nebraska; traverses Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; and ends at the shoreline of northern California. There are 52 confluences—50 on land, two at landfall—and I have photographed 32 of them and have 20 left to go. At this time, GPS devices were not available to civilians at reasonable prices, yet I was certain that this new technology would be the answer to locating these precise places. By 1998, prices came down and I bought my first GPS unit for $300, drove to where the 40th parallel hit land on the New Jersey shore, and made my first picture.

The distance between each longitudinal line at the 40th parallel is about 53 miles as the crow flies. However, this is never the case on the ground. Using a GPS and maps, I navigate to each of these confluences where I have approximately 20-square-foot area in which I compose the best possible view. After hiking/driving/boating close to the location (with gear weighing approximately 50 pounds) and finding the exact confluence with the GPS, I set up my 8x10 Deardorff camera and choose my view. I then take three individual pictures, moving the camera from left to right, and later print them together, leaving the tell-tale signs of film’s frames intact. 

East of the Mississippi, confluences are generally near roads and are more easily accessible. West of the Rocky Mountains, access becomes more difficult; roads are scarce and travel between points can take up to a day. Ranging from remote governmental lands in Utah to a 2,000-foot cliff on the Californian coast, these 20 final locations will present unique challenges. Although I do research on all of my locations before setting out, as I have learned, there are always surprises (which I will share on the supporter blog as the project progresses).

For more detailed statements regarding “The Fortieth Parallel” and images to date, visit my website and see the press links at the bottom of this page.

To finish the project:

I will be traveling to the remaining confluences on N 40° 00’ 00” over the next year, with a projected completion date of Summer 2013.  There are a few places to which I may return to re-photograph.

Remember, if my Kickstarter project does not reach its goal, it does not get funded at all.  As they say on NPR and PBS, time is very limited and we need your support now! 

If my fundraising goal is surpassed, any additional money will go toward any additional supplies needed, post-production, printing, and to make a book dummy.  Throughout the Kickstarter campaign, I will be making updates as the drive progresses.

Very best, Bruce

A Note on the Print Rewards:

All production postcards will be printed on or near the location that they are made, with a personal note and signed by the artist.

All reward panorama prints are archival inkjet prints signed by the artist in special Kickstarter sizes and editions, either open or limited as noted. I will contact you after the campaign ends with information on how to send me your choice. If you choose a print of one of the panoramas that has already been photographed, the estimated delivery of your reward will be October 2012. If you wish to choose a location not yet visited, the estimated delivery of your reward will be Summer 2013.To help you select a print visit at my website to see the photographs already made, or my Google map site for the locations that are to be visited. If you would like guidance I will gladly help you choose a print from the collection.

"The Fortieth Parallel" and the rest of my work is represented by Gallery Kayafas in Boston.

Should you have any questions about any of the rewards, please feel free to comment or message me via the button at the bottom of this page.

Press on the project “The Fortieth Parallel”

Robert Moeller, "Peg and Rope Geometry," Afterimage, January/February 2011, Vol. 38, No. 4 (scroll down to exhibition reviews, click on the +)

Greg Cook, "Tedium and Enchantment," Boston Phoenix, November 5, 2010

Cate McQuaid, "Making a dream reality," Boston Globe, November 10, 2010

D’lynne Plummer, “Absolute Latitude: Laconia Gallery displays the Beauty of Random Locales,” South End News, October 2005

Help Spread the Word & Updates:

I would be grateful if you could help spread the word about “The Fortieth Parallel” by sharing the direct Kickstarter link located below the video at the top of the page.  You can join my email list to receive updates regarding the project and other news by clicking here.  Thank you!

I wish to thank a few people who have supported the project over the years and who have made this Kickstarter campaign possible: