Naomi Harris

E.U.S.A. documents American-themed places in Europe and European-themed places in America. Primarily portraiture, the photos are sentimental and idealized, a reaction to the homogenized, indistinguishable common world community, a direct result of globalization. In »Olde-World« towns in California, Wisconsin or Iowa the respective Danish, Swiss, or Dutch heritage being celebrated is ostensibly that of a significant segment of the local population and reflects a desire for authenticity. In other places the »heritage« is blatantly designed and marketed purely for its entertainment and touristic value. This is also the case with many of the Western theme-parks visited in Europe. Many of the pictures make it hard to locate when and where they where taken: are we in the US or somewhere in Europe? E.U.S.A. is an ambitious project that raises questions about authenticity, cultural identity, and appropriation, about the function of »other-directed« places and their enduring appeal.