All photographs taken in America in 2017 and 2018

How do the moralistic origins of America play out to this day in our values, in our interactions, and in how we choose to situate ourselves within space? In the early 17th century, the Puritans saw America “as a city upon a hill” – a place of moral isolation from the rest of the world. As I traveled throughout the States, I observed the many walls that Americans have constructed and subsequently reinforced to keep others out. Our city has become a series of castles.

These photographs document isolation across America: the physical, emotional, and ideological guardians, parapets, turrets, gates and guard towers that Americans still erect as a continuation of the Puritan tradition.