In Unmarked Sites, Jessica Auer pursues photography like an archeologist, searching for cultural sites in Newfoundland and Labrador in an effort to reconcile its complex history. Looking to the land for signs of the past, she delves into the relationship between landscape and regional identity. The resulting narrative reveals the intricacies that relate exploration, settlement, preservation and modern tourism. Inspired by the travelogue and set within the context of geological time, the artist takes the reader on a journey that travels between reality and the imaginary.
Unmarked Sites is a completely bilingual publication.The artist’s fieldnotes are complimented with an essay by Canadian artist and writer Tetsuomi Anzai. The sensitive design was created by Alexi Hobbs. These limited edition books are numbered and include fold-out pages.

See also: http://www.jessicaauer.com/site/projects/unmarked-sites-artist-book/

Jessica Auer is a documentary-style landscape photographer from Montreal. Drawing inspiration from history and archeology, her work is largely concerned the study of cultural sites. From the beaten track to the frontier, Jessica explores places where history and mythology are woven into the landscape, and where contemporary landscape issues emerge. Taking on the role of observer-participant, her photographs present narratives that incite the viewer to engage with place using their imagination, as well as look at the practice of sightseeing from a critical perspective. Jessica received her MFA in Studio Arts from Concordia University in 2007. She currently teaches photography at Concordia University in Montreal and is represented by Patrick Mikhail Gallery in Ottawa. Her first book publication, Unmarked Sites, was listed as one of the best independently books of 2011 by Larissa Leclair of the Indie Photobook Library (Washington, D.C.) and selected as one of the best books of 2011 by Lauren Henkin for Photo-eye books.

Les Territoires is a non-for-profit gallery dedicated to presenting the work of emerging artists and research practices that expand on theoretical approaches to contemporary art. Les Territoires’ mandate is to support artists in their emerging professional careers and to help develop their public profile in national and international art communities. The publication of Unmarked Sites marked the launch of éditions Les Territoires, an imprint dedicated to supporting emerging artists with the publication of their first artist book. Les Territoires and Jessica Auer would like to acknowledge the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia University, and Concordia University’s aid to research related publications program. More info at http://www.lesterritoires.org