2nd floor of the Health Science Education Building
Advertising photographer by trade, lover of journeys at heart, Blair Bunting is masterful at merging his professional and personal interests, creating a space that provides him with a sense of serenity. To be human is to seek tranquility, but that is a state of being easier for some to achieve than others. Bunting’s version of serenity is uniquely framed by the way he processes the world.
Bunting’s work has a way of transporting viewers to the place where he clicked the shutter, whether that be a train trestle or the cockpit of a U2 spy plane. In April 2023, he navigated further from earth than any civilian, capturing extraordinary images along the way.
Diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder as an adult, Bunting is self-introspective, reserving his most intense interests as the subjects of his fine art photography. One of those interests is trains - a touchstone for Bunting in a world that often seems too full of people. Revealing his inner world is a leap of faith for Bunting, who has never sold or exhibited his train images previously.
Rarely is the artist/curator relationship revealed to the viewer. But this pairing is not ordinary. I too live with autism spectrum disorder. Fellow creative-types, Bunting and I bonded quickly, but our sensory challenges are different. The sounds of trains that soothe Bunting trigger sensory overload in me.
The solution to the sensory dilemma presented itself serendipitously. We spoke while Bunting was along the train tracks near Flagstaff and I was in the quiet of my home in Phoenix. This allowed me to experience the trains with their sounds filtered, and Bunting the space to consider my questions in a context where he was comfortable. In the process, we gained a profound understanding of each other’s journey to belonging and were reminded that small adaptations can result in remarkable outcomes.
W. James Burns, Ph.D., Guest Curator