Thirtysix Views of Inverted Portal

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, 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.