Neil DaCosta

Artist Statement

Pacific Northwest Logging 2018-Present

A century after Darius Kinsey photographed the PNW logging industry, this project aims to show the similarities and differences a hundred years has made. To pay homage to Kinsey’s process, I set out with a wooden 8x10 field camera. However, modern logging moves quickly so I added a slightly more nimble 67 film camera to my bag. Kinsey made a living selling his images to logging companies and the subjects of his photographs. In doing this, he created an incredible archive of an industry that is still relied on today. Unlike Kinsey, prints from this series are gifted to the subjects as a “thank you”. But it is intended to be an archive of an industry that could very well still be around in another 100 years. The Whatcom Museum in Bellingham, WA has the largest collection of Darius Kinsey’s work. My hope is that my series evolves and one day can be shown alongside Kinsey’s images, allowing the viewer to see firsthand the logging industry 100 years apart.

Neil DaCosta | Portland, OR

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