Green Island (hospital bed), Iowa

Flowing more than 2, 000 miles from northern Minnesota into the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River has been the source of inspiration for many artists and writers. Yet Alec Soth explored spaces that were not immediately identifiable as being along the Mississippi. Here, plaster is scattered atop the wrinkled sheets of a hospital bed that lies off center within the room. The broom at right implies a certain level of intentional care, as does the bed itself. Green Island, Iowa, however, remains an open-ended composition, in which the purposes of the room remain a mystery.