Justine Kurland spends a lot of time on the road searching for her photographic subjects. This image is from a series called “Golden Dawn,” which explores thirteen back-to-the-land communes she visited over six months. The term Golden Dawn may refer to the idealism of these groups, who strive to escape the industrialism and consumerism of modern society by supporting themselves in nature in an environmentally responsible way. Kurland spent time getting to know the commune members, then asked them to pose nude to reflect their back-to-nature philosophy. The only instruction she gave her models was where to stand, sit, or walk—the rest was up to them. The two girls in this image wrapped themselves in duvets for protection from the cold while posing with two old school buses. The artist has commented that this combination of planning and chance allows for “the tension that lies between the staging and the unpredictability.”

Label from Looking Out and Looking In: A Selection of Contemporary Photography, January 19–June 9, 2013