The Oceano Dunes state park area just south of San Luis Obispo in California is known in part for its majestic natural formations and miles of windswept rolling sand. These are the iconic dunes of Edward Weston’s breathtaking photographs; of Cecil B. DeMille’s recently excavated and restored sphinxes from his 1923 Ten Commandments movie set; of the Dunites—the artists, poets, nudists, and mystics squatting in dune shacks in the 1920’s-40’s—and of the nearly lost Northern Chumash tribe who holds a vast and rich cultural history going back 10,000 years. Currently, the Oceano Dunes remain an active and wildly popular recreation site filled with hikers and campers, RV encampments, and members of the local community. Of significant note, 1,000 day passes are issued to off road all terrain vehicles (ATVs) to rip up and down the dunes. Photographer Lana Z Caplan now calls this region home herself, and for seven years she has engaged with tribal leaders, land use and city pollution boards, historians, the ATV and RV communities, and other vested people to learn, photograph, and create a visual conversation about the complexities of this unique part of the country.

Her book Oceano (for seven generations), published by Kehrer Verlag, is a rich exploration of the histories and intersections of people and place. In her project description, Caplan notes the universal resonance of this specific regional history. She observes, “The story of the dunes is both a specifically local and deeply California story, with unique quirks and interest, and a microcosm presented for reflection on issues that are happening all over Caplan invested herself in not only learning and understanding the vast history of the area, but also spending significant time getting to know the people on a human level that she was photographing. In addition to landscape images of the dunes and surrounding structures and geographies, Caplan provides portraits of some of the RV inhabitants, the ATV riders, as well as individuals who live in the area year round. She also includes photographs of related historical objects and writings. All of this combines to present a wide-arcing consideration of the significant scope and implications of using and utilizing natural spaces for human gain. Environmental and cultural losses and implications are inherent. Her photographic study of artifacts gives archeological insight into the deeper stories of the Oceano dunes area, and their symbolism in time and place. Threaded throughout the book are quotes from archives of past inhabitants, as well as essays from current tribal leaders, and cultural thinkers. Mona Olivas Tucker, the tribal chair of the yak tit^yu tit^yu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe  (ytt Tribe) and her son, Matthew D. Goldman, deepen the weight of the considerations in the writings they provided for this project.

Goldman’s essay encapsulates what is at stake with the intersection of landscape and human impact. He writes, “I watch over special places and feel proud of my ancestors. Walking the Dunes can feel like heaven. On the nights when no one is there, it’s a sanctuary. … During the times when the beach is flooded with people and vehicles, I feel sick and sad. Huge amounts of filth trash is left behind in a place I love. Damage by vehicles is happening to the dunes, damage to animals, birds, plants, and beautiful flowers. Some won’t survive and won’t be seen again.” Professor, author, and artist Hanna Rose Shell accompanied Caplan on an excursion into the dune area and her essay for the book includes observations on both the topography as well as the people and messaging present. The viewer is led along with Caplan and Shell as they navigate the conflicting human interests and agendas with the region. She writes, “There is a defiant aggression in the air, infused with the saltwater, and a controlled chaos of vehicles large and small revving engines, spinning in circles. The smell is a mixture of chorizo and motor oil.”Throughout  her essay, Shell provides context and a historical look at the role the Dunes have played in the film industry, for recreation, and for photographers such as Edward Weston. At the end of her piece she notes the cautionary tale all of this provides. “Across the thin and permeable fence, over which the sand occasionally tops out, untrodden dunes appear to shift position at the will of the wind, ripples showing the vibrations of the wind itself, day by day, week by week. We can only hope that these dunes, in their natural state of flux, will long outlast any temporary line in the sand drawn by human hands or machines.”