Distant Suburbia

Distant Suburbia

Thomas Jordan (b. 1992) is an American photographer, living and working in Illinois. He is influenced by the northwest Chicago suburbs, looking for moments of clarity in drawn-out nights. Pylons are set against burnt orange skies; decked houses emanate a warm yellow glow; branches are bleached out with high-contrast flash. These compositions transform everyday icons of roads, trees and houses into jewel-tone utopias. Using long-exposure, the images are at once dark and inviting, moving deftly around illuminated windows, artificial streetlights and closed front doors. The viewer is kept close to the buildings yet remains at a distance – never able to move inside, instead wandering around neighbourhoods with a sense of disconnect. Jordan accentuates the anonymity of domestic landscapes – where the sun is always setting and the streets are always empty. His images have been featured in The New Yorker, Aint-Bad and Phroom. thomasjordanphoto.com