Shepherd University senior Hailey Mauzy, who is minoring in art, checks out some of the photography in Jay Gould's exhibit, "Uncertain Passages," during its opening reception. Photo by Tabitha Johnston.

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Mist swirls through the air, as two pairs of disembodied legs in hiking boots stand on a rocky shore, surrounded by an ocean tide. The mysterious photograph is one of 12 in Phaze 2 Gallery’s new art installation, “Uncertain Passages.”

In its sixth solo appearance nationwide, the exhibit, which opened on Nov. 5, will remain in the gallery through Jan. 18.

According to Maryland Institute College of Art faculty member and photographer Jay Gould, the exhibit was inspired by his love for science fiction, including books by Kurt Vonnegut and Italo Calvino.

“For this work, a lot of these come from my long past of reading science fiction. One piece was inspired by Italo Calvino. Another, by Kurt Vonnegut,” Gould said, during his exhibit’s opening night reception. “Lately, I like to read their works — they liked to write about science, so the exhibit is a mixture of that and trends in science, which gives me some ideas to rattle around, as I’m making my art.”

As a child, Gould planned on working in a scientific field, but as he grew older, he realized he wanted to be an artist instead. Despite the change in career path, his appreciation for the complexities and unknowns in science remained, and is expressed through his work, which he describes as “conceptual construction photography.”

According to Gould,”Uncertain Passages” demonstrates this art form, by portraying ideas “beyond our senses.”

“I think with this body of work, it’s more a shared sense of wonder and exploration. They are, in a large part, photographs of nature, but they’re intended to inspire people to question if what they are looking at is fact or fiction,” Gould said, mentioning he is regularly creating more work to add to the exhibition.

“I’ll always have the exhibition. I consider this my personal work, a long-term work-in-progress,” Gould said.

Because it is an ongoing project, Gould’s entire “Uncertain Passages” exhibition is too large to be displayed in the gallery. Gould said he enjoyed selecting 12 pieces for the gallery, which best express the exhibit’s theme and suit the gallery space.

“I think it’s a good thing — I like a small gallery space. It allows you to soak up everything a little differently,” Gould said, mentioning a limited number of editions of each photograph are available for sale.

To learn more about Gould and his other science-inspired exhibits, visit www.jgould.net/.

The Phaze 2 Gallery is located at 62 West Campus Drive. For more information, contact Tori Wilds at 304-876-5159 or Evan Boggess at eboggess@shepherd.edu.