Twin Peaks 2025 Photography Project
“Diane, 11:30 a.m., February 24th. Entering the town of Twin Peaks.” 🌲🦉☕️
If you know me, then you probably know that when a world profoundly speaks to me, it’s only a matter of time before I’m completely entranced — hungry to uncover its darkest secrets and interpretations for myself. I begin to live and breathe it: soundtracks rule my everyday, faces seeping into my dreams until I have no choice but to create something of my own. David Lynch’s world of Twin Peaks has that effect on me.
It almost feels silly to admit, but I’ve always been fascinated by darkness: in its simplest visual form, but also in all its unknowns. It can be intoxicating, sometimes comforting, and it can tear you apart. I knew Twin Peaks would change the trajectory of my creative process when Agent Dale Cooper not only listened to the dark of his dreams, but was not afraid to make it known.
Reality has rules, but spirituality appears to and through us in countless forms. It’s hard to imagine one could describe their strangest dreams to every brain on earth and expect them all to understand with flawless clarity. In my own life, there is still so much of my interior world that I haven’t explained to people. I know it’s primarily for me, even when that space can be absurd beyond articulation. But since Lynch’s passing, I feel encouraged to translate those interior experiences, regardless of their making sense. After all, Lynch was well aware of life (and thus art) not always making sense.
His messages, both visual and verbatim, remind me that each of us are worlds — universes full of weird and wondrous visions. If I’ve internalized anything from his filmography, it is that visions deserve to live.
R.I.P David. “In heaven, everything is fine.”
Part 1: Dale Cooper in The Black Lodge
Naturally, the first set of scenes that came to mind when developing this project were those in the infamous Black Lodge (S2 E22), including one visually similar moment of Agent Cooper and The Giant at the Roadhouse (S2 E9). My old high school was gracious enough to grant me access to their auditorium for a couple hours.
Part 2: Entering the Town of Twin Peaks
For past creative projects, I almost strictly made self-portraits, so it was quite refreshing to capture landscapes this time around. A large part of the charm of Twin Peaks is its location and how it’s captured on film: wintry puddles, crescent moons, close-ups of foreboding traffic lights, and breathing Douglas firs. The warm, yet contrastingly unnerving interiors of the Palmer’s house in Fire Walk With Me inspired me as well.
I shot most of these images in early February at an abandoned mental hospital about five miles from my hometown.
And a few shots on 35mm film (Kodak Ultramax 400, Canon EOS 3).
Part 3: Who Killed Laura Palmer?
My self-portraits inspired by the enigmatic Laura Palmer were sort of a last-minute decision. I originally planned to pose as Laura the same day I did the Dale Cooper scenes in the auditorium, but given that I had a time limit to use the space, I wasn’t able to get to that part of my shot list. So a few days before “Twin Peaks Day,” I ran down to my basement at 1:00 a.m. with my camera, tripod, flash, and the closest garment I could find resembling both Laura’s black bolero worn in the Pink Room (Fire Walk With Me) and her Lodge dress (S2 E22).
The more I play in front of the camera, the more comfortable I feel embodying different characters — even those I’d consider wildly distinct from me. One of many reasons why I love David Lynch’s work is his ability to humanize even the most bizarre, pained personalities. Laura endured so much. To choose death over depravity and angels over men, when everything is a raw, nebulous nightmare, is a degree of courage no soul should have to know.
A special thanks to my Art of Film professor who recognized my appreciation for the surreal, and recommended that I explore the electric worlds of Lynch.
