A Portfolio from the Series Drift Alignment

AbstractThis portfolio and artist statement addresses the ongoing photographic series Drift Alignment, which explores the historical and contemporary conditions along the US-Mexico border. The work examines the legacy of Spanish colonization, US territorial expansion and contemporary migration with an emphasis on the various ways in which astronomy and celestial navigation have played a role in the evolution of the border region of southern Arizona.Keywords: migrationimmigrationastronomyUS-Mexico bordercelestial navigationlandscape Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationNotes on contributorsAndrew O’BrienNoteAndrew O’Brien is an Associate Professor in the Department of Art at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. O’Brien’s artistic practice draws from lived experience to examine the organization and perception of physical space—especially as it relates to landscape and the built environment. His work is informed by the history and symbolic potential of materials, as well as the shifting incarnations of the photographic image. Works range from experimental publications, to photographs, video, and installation. He has exhibited widely, including at the Houston Center for Photography, The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado, the West Gallery at California State University Northridge, and the Art Museum of Northern Illinois University, among others. In 2021 O’Brien was named a Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellow.