“Transcendence is a project about the spiritual spheres of people outside of the binary gender labels. Nat Kadaw are spirit mediums in Myanmar. Stemming from pre-Buddhist times, they continue to be popular with the Buddhist population. Although traditionally a role carried on from mother to daughter, it is now a respectable role in society for the gay and trans community as well.

In South Sulawesi, Indonesia, the Bissu are known as the “fifth gender” within Buginese society. Instead of identifying as cisgender men, women, trans-men or trans-women, they see themselves as gender-transcendent. For hundreds of years, they have occupied the traditional role of shaman or priest. Although stemming from pre-Islamic times, the Bissu still play an important part in rituals and ceremonies such as healing the sick, securing crop harvests and blessing pilgrimages to Mecca.” – Marc Ressang

“Marc’s sensitive and evocative work is comprised of two distinct halves – colorful, candid portraits of the Bissu and Nat Kadaw in formal wear, in the clamor of the ceremonies he describes in his series statement; and more subtle, somber portraits of those same people alone in the natural landscape. It is these contrasts in setting, energy, color palette and his deft control of light and shadow that help present a complex, multi-faceted picture of two communities that acts to challenge our Western preconceptions of gender, and invites reflection on perspectives, rituals and beliefs that may differ to our own.” – Life Framer

“Defining Identity is a uniquely human struggle. While we are connected to family by blood, many of us still go through life seeking out our chosen families. Finding one’s ‘tribe’ can feel like discovering the missing piece. Many of us inexplicably connect to different times in history or geographic locations. This is why renaissance fairs, sports teams and sci-fi conventions exist. I would argue that finding ‘our people’ is one of the reasons that we travel. We all look outward into the world to make sense of our own inner one.

My series “Nostalgia” documents a group, The Rockabillies, who have found their tribe. They have distilled the essence of the 1950’s Americana down to its best parts: pin up fashion, hot rod cars, rock & roll music, casinos and easy living. Every year in April, thousands of Rockabillies from all over the world flock to Las Vegas for their event Viva Las Vegas. As I walked through the crowds, a spectator, wearing my own mid century vintage clothing and holding my 1950’s Rollieflex, I found myself overwhelmed with the shared sense of deja vu for a time and place I never lived. This collection of candid color medium format film photography explores the perceived innocence of “simpler times” and aims to give the viewer a sense of increased empathy and connection into the Rockabillies’s world.”- Alice Christine Walker

“A pocket of sunlight refers to the energy from the sun’s rays stored in matter derived from plants within the earth’s surface. The energy of the sun, captured over millions of years by millions of plants more than 100 million years ago. Fossil fuels such as coal and crude oil are examples of this stored energy that originated from our sun. Early in the earth’s history when plants dominated the surface using photosynthesis, a truly amazing process that actually splits atoms and transforms the sun’s photons in combination with carbon dioxide and water into energy to live and grow, they adsorbed massive amounts of carbon dioxide and in turn oxygenated the atmosphere allowing for life as we know it. The remains of the plants from this era decomposed and compressed over millions of years and now are buried underground in the form of oil and coal. We humans are and have been burning this matter in order to take advantage of the energy it produces, energy originally from the sun. The use of this limited resource is resulting in the carbon dioxide, that the plants captured, to be re-released into the atmosphere contributing heavily to the warming of the planet.

I also like to think of a pocket of sunlight as the time and space in which the sun is at the right temperature to allow for life on earth. By releasing the pocket of sunlight deep in the earth, we are squandering the perfect balance of life on earth, our own pocket of sunlight.

The images in this series serve to create a broad symbolic timeline of the earth and human existence and intervention, particularly in America, where I call home. Humans are but a small blip in the lifespan of the earth, yet we are changing it immensely. The United States in all its excess is second only to China in carbon dioxide emissions. Why have we not cut down on our emissions quicker when we have the ability to do so through renewable energy technologies, renewable energy systems which also store the sun’s energy like solar, wind, and hydro (yes, without the sun’s energy, there would be no wind nor liquid water)?

Along my travels to photograph this series I have encountered many beautiful natural landscapes, but the road to get there was paved in excess and pollution. I have also encountered some ingenious alternate forms of energy such as the Ivanpah concentrated solar thermal plant which gives me some hope, but when I encounter giant gold buildings with the name of the owner displayed in giant lettering on top and then that same self absorbed man becomes president, I start to lose hope. All energy that is stored will eventually be released. It is the cycle of life, but we should try to hold on to this pocket of sunlight as long as we can.”- Ian Baguskas