Mark Peacock ~ Artist Statement
As a native Angeleno, I grew up appreciating and experiencing the unique variety of places and things that Southern California had to offer.
Unlike other city's dedication to architectural preservation, I have seen Los Angeles transform and re-invent itself many times throughout the years resulting in the loss of the city’s historic buildings and businesses.
Much of my work consists of captured images in and around L.A. and Southern California in an attempt to document its many historical aspects.
Be it 'Scenes from the Street' or those bits and pieces of nostalgia weaving a fabric that recall a time gone by.
From an early age, I have been fascinated with the things and places that are uniquely American and throughout my work I want the viewer to have the feeling of being there, to see and experience it, through my eyes. In addition, as an ambient music composer, I have always strived to create a mood with each composition and the same process goes into each photographic image I take. In many ways, I feel like an archivist documenting what is current and what has past, and often I’m told, my photographs evoke memories, feelings, and experiences in the viewer.
Be it the 'Nocturnal City Streets' or a 'Wide-Open Road', they are the canvas for my eye and my camera. I feel I have the ability to capture a place, a thing, or a historical scene that others miss in their day to day lives. I love it when I’m able to accomplish that, bringing the imagery to the viewer while potentially preserving some iconic history as well.
“Mark Peacock’s photographs not only depict beautiful remaining neon signs, they tell the story of that culture as it exists in the Los Angeles area of Southern California. In some ways, Mark is a documentarian, but he captures his subjects so vibrantly beautiful that they become more than that”
–Randy Fox for American Elegy