Large-format film photographer James Florio explores the radical landscape of Tippet Rise, a 15,000-acre tract in the Montana wilderness. Home to large scale sculptural installations, Florio originally began to photograph the art pieces but gradually became more and more transfixed with the land itself.
During this program, attendees will be able to watch James Florio at Tippet Rise, a 17-minute documentary directed by Jeffrey Peixoto, followed by a Q&A with Florio and director Peixoto.
James Florio will also discuss the ideas and process behind his latest book, Thirtysix Views of Inverted Portal (MAS Context, 2025). A selection of print materials will be on view at the space.
Over the course of seven winters, James Florio hiked up the hill to Inverted Portal 482 times with an 8×10 large format camera. The first few journeys were unintentional—he was drawn by the site’s magnetism. Soon, however, it became a pilgrimage.
James climbed again and again, through snow and cold, in light and dark, in silence and in nature’s deafening roar, to the top of the hill. Listening to the sound of the mountain and witnessing the land’s infinite change, it was the wind that decided if an image would be made. It set the tempo, dictating the time spent there, the light as it reflected off the sculpture, the force of the weather that engulfed us.
The only way to create these images was to be there in all of it. These thirty-six views tell the story of what is possible—but equally—what isn’t.
Designed by Anna Mort and Rick Valicenti, Thirtysix Views presents thirty-six views of Ensamble Studio’s Inverted Portal at Tippet Rise Art Center, Montana. The set of three books with cloth cover is presented inside a custom-designed slipcase. The accordion-style books can be enjoyed as a traditional book or displayed in full without the covers.
The presentation will be followed by a reception and book signing. A limited number of copies will be available for purchase during the event. You can also order copies of Thirtysix Views of Inverted Portal from our website.
In 2022, James Florio received the 2022 Julius Shulman Institute’s Excellence in Photography Award, recognizing his remarkable work.
“James Florio has used photography to take us on an adventure of discovery: documenting the working method of unique architecture practice Ensamble Studio. Collaborating with the architects, Florio reveals the slow and experimental process in the making of unique architecture and landscape disruptions,” said Barbara Bestor, Executive Director of the Julius Shulman Institute.
