Inverted Projections

The Inverted Projections series represents pivotal moment in Laverty’s artistic evolution, both technically and conceptually, setting the foundation for many of his subsequent works. By flipping conventional perspectives and disorienting the viewer, these images invite contemplation on the constructed nature of visual perception. The series inverts urban scenes creating a world that feels simultaneously familiar and foreign, challenging the viewer to reexamine their relationship with space, direction, and movement.

This exploration of inversion and perspective in Inverted Projections has had a profound influence on Laverty’s current work. His signature techniques, such as continuous vantage points and prolonged capture durations, carry forward this investigation of space, momentum, and presence. The series has inspired Laverty’s ongoing interest in manipulating perception and experience, turning static, everyday moments into dynamic, multilayered narratives. The aesthetic and conceptual shifts introduced in Inverted Projections continue to resonate, pushing Laverty to explore new ways of capturing the ephemeral and enduring elements of urban life.

As Eric Laverty ventured out into the pandemic-emptied streets of 2020-21, he began to question the influence of subject matter and process in his photography. Confronted by the ambiguous loss of New York City's rhythm and vitality, its spaces and buildings physically present but emotionally vacant, as described by Dr. Pauline Boss and Esther Perel, Laverty found himself reconsidering the elements that defined his compositions. In the absence of crowds, tourists, and the bustling energy of the city, previously overlooked components of the urban environment, crosswalk stripes, street signage, bike paths, debris containment fields, and safety barriers became central. Once dismissed or edited out, these details now emerged as essential elements in his visual narratives.

Inspired by Georg Baselitz’s upturned paintings, which gained renewed interest during the pandemic, Laverty adopted a similar method of inverting his images. This approach built upon his earlier Undercarriages series, where he photographed upturned furniture, exploring the hidden structures and forms underneath. By turning his compositions upside down, he liberated shapes, colors, and forms from their traditional associations, allowing a new level of abstraction and reinterpretation. This shift invited comparisons not only to Baselitz’s post-war dystopian landscapes but also to the broader disorientation brought about by the pandemic. More importantly, this creative transformation allowed Laverty to break free from rigid, representational constraints, pushing him toward a more liberated, multi-perspective approach to urban photography.

This conceptual leap laid the groundwork for Laverty’s Inverted Projections series, marking a pivotal moment in his artistic development. The inverted images of New York’s urban landscape challenge viewers’ perceptions of space, orientation, and movement, inviting reflection on the city’s altered identity during this global crisis. The act of inversion not only disoriented the viewer but also altered Laverty’s own relationship with photography, inspiring a move away from conventional single-frame captures and toward more fluid, multi-layered visual narratives.