In 2008, a group of women moved to Bolinas, Calif., hoping to live closer to the land. Photographer Rachel Barrett describes her experience documenting that community.

Arlo and Mickey

Rachel Barrett

Banjo Song

Rachel Barrett

Britt

Rachel Barrett

Brook

Rachel Barrett

Brook's Fire

Rachel Barrett

Cassie

Rachel Barrett

Flower Patch

Rachel Barrett

Helene

Rachel Barrett

Larry

Rachel Barrett

Lawrence

Rachel Barrett

Nile

Rachel Barrett

Sam and Phoebe

Rachel Barrett

Spirals

Rachel Barrett

Suzy

Rachel Barrett

The Release

Rachel Barrett

Bolinas is a small, unincorporated community on the coast of Northern California. In late 2008, a close childhood friend and seven other women began to share a home there. Like many in my generation, they were returning to back-to-the-land ideologies, leaving their urban lives to retreat together into the natural world.

Intrigued by the social and political significance of this movement happening across the country, I wanted to visually explore this relationship to place. ... This series of photographs was created from July 2009 to October 2010 and combines textural details with intimate personal portraits to collectively evoke an expression of experience.

Rachel Barrett is a Brooklyn-based fine-art photographer. Currently, she is a studio artist at The Invisible Dog Art Center, a freelance contributor to The New York Times and an assistant professor of digital imaging at Kingsborough Community College.

^{100 Words is a series in which photographers describe their work, in their own words. Curated by Graham Letorney.}

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