Joel Jimenez WHEN THE DUST SETTLES

Joel Jimenez came upon the title of his ongoing photo series “When the Dust Settles” as the project evolved into a study of humanity and the landscape in his native Costa Rica. “I became interested in the idea of dust as a metaphorical representation of time and memory,” Jimenez explains. “These fine particles work as timeless traces imprinted onto a person, space or an object; dust is both ephemeral and permanent, present and absent.”

His sentiments are reflected in his images, which contain few depictions of people, but rather remnants of human activity. “The human presence is established through the traces found in the landscape,” Jimenez notes, “but also in the act of observation that happens within me as the photographer, and the viewer's experience, which generates meanings and emotions. I'd like to think that the images reflect ideas related to identity, home and belongingness, expressed in places that are both private and collective.”

Jimenez says Japanese haiku poetry also played a role in how he approached the work. “Haiku builds the images in a way that [the words] mean nothing beyond themselves, and at the same time express so much that it's impossible to grasp their final meaning,” he says. “The ideas reflected in the images are cultivated through an act of associative linking between the elements of the place and the subjective experience of the viewer—this shapes the concept of atmosphere.”

Currently a photography student at Veritas University in San Jose, Costa Rica, Jimenez hopes to exhibit his work in photo festivals and other art venues to expand his horizons. He’s continuing to use elements from "When the Dust Settles" in his work, most notably though film and motion. “I believe that creative processes are constantly evolving, and throughout that journey, you find theories or concepts that help with new project ideas or give you a different perspective on the work that you've done.”

—Jack Crager

Photo © Joel Jimenez joelrjimenez.com