Selected Works by Jake Martinez

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JAKE MARTINEZ

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JAKE MARTINEZ

Growing up in the Antelope Valley, I watched homes and businesses change from inhabited and open to abandoned and closed. My photographs function as an archive to preserve the memoryof these buildings and the histories they represent. Palmdale city officials declare, “The Antelope Valley is thriving with opportunities,” but limited job opportunities and lack of community support affirm otherwise. Scattered throughout the vast landscape are deserted homes and businesses, money pits and projects neglected by the community. Commercial buildings seem to change occupancy every few months and neighbors come and go from increasingly derelict homes. New buildings and city projects alter the landscape only to be rejected before their completion. Schools and recreational destinations have diminished. Within the Antelope ValleySchool District, a thirty-million-dollarcharter school stands empty, a last-minute decision shutting it downjust before the scheduled opening. 

I used to explore recreational lands – now closed to the public or under ceaseless renovations – and fish the waters – nowdried to ponds,or playas,and dry lakebeds. Campgrounds have closed, their decaying residue left on the roadside. I have lived among and within these buildings and landscapes most of my life, witnessing the changes firsthand and photographing them over time. I document these buildings using B&W film with both large and medium format cameras. This process allows me to put more time into photographing these places that were once someone’s home or business and to focus on the space in which these subjects are located, seeking to give each image the respect it deserves.

Jake Martinez is a photographer based in Palmdale, CA. He began his photography practice while pursuing a BA in Psychology at California State University, Northridge, which lead him to pursue my master’s in photography at CSUN. Jake’s work is influenced by firsthand experience witnessing detritus left behind in the Antelope Valley and watching homes and businesses change from inhabited and open to abandoned and closed. He is interested in preserving the memory of these buildings and how the psychology of place affects those who live in these areas.