Michael Barkin’s work addresses the physical and virtual worlds. His interest in sustainable development in Latin America led to studies of social movements in the Americas and Europe. He photographed the World Trade Organization protests in Seattle in 1999 while preparing to visit a coffee cooperative in Southern Mexico. These experiences led to publications and exhibits. Michael’s documentation of the anti-globalization movement provides an idealistic representation of the era.

Michael’s decades-long documentary projects about Seattle, the American Northwest, and related international themes monitor economics, ecology, and community. He references literary and cultural themes that affect and trace the course of social change, particularly Beat culture, the hippie movement, and travelers. An upbringing amidst the natural splendors and countercultures in Oregon informs his perspective on the beauty, opportunity, and risks of exploring the internal and external worlds.

The challenges of the digital era brought him to information science. An archival practice for his work and others is based on emerging digital tools, techniques, and methods. He maintains a collection of ephemera that adds meaning and context to his projects.