Leah Schretenthaler: The Invasive Species of the Built Environment
Leah Schretenthaler was born and raised in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. She is currently an MFA Candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, creating work with traditional photography, video, and metal casting. With the Film Photo Award, Leah plans to expand upon her current series The Invasive Species of the Built Environment, which focuses on land use issues in Hawaii, ushering her compelling black and white work into a new color phase.
Leah will continue her practice of photographing controversial, “invasive” structures across the Hawaiian landscape and using a laser etcher to then remove those structures from the photographic print. This process leaves a vacant scar upon the image, and allows us to imagine what Hawaii would be like without these impositions. Her forthcoming color work will further draw contrast between the area that has been burnt away and the lush vibrant colors of the Hawaiian landscape. Leah’s work calls into question human dominion over the land and whether the changes we bring to the landscape do more damage than good.
