In 1980, Mark Chamberlain and Jerry Burchfield initiated an on-going, multi-faceted project in Laguna Canyon, to provide documentation of change over time and to create a broader awareness of both regional and global environmental issues. Laguna Canyon is the last natural corridor to the Pacific Ocean in Orange County and one of the largest natural open spaces in Southern California. Local residents see it as a greenbelt buffer, while others view it as virgin territory ripe for development. Burchfield and Chamberlain felt it imperative to call into question prevailing conceptions of progress and used photography, video, sculpture, performance, installations, and collaborative events address their concerns.

The first Phase of the project took place in 1980 with the contiguous “daylight” and “nightlight” photographic documentation of both sides of the entire nine-mile length of Laguna Canyon Road from Interstate V to the Pacific Ocean. Since then, a total of fifteen separate Phases have been completed, including redoing the “daylight” and “nightlight” documentations of Laguna Canyon road in 1990 and 2000. The largest and most dramatic Phase of the project was Phase VIII, The Tell Mural, a 366 foot long site-specific sculpture comprised of over 100,000 photographs. The Tell became a catalyst for community interaction, environmental activity, and served as the inspiration for a walk of 11,000 concerned citizens on November 11, 1989 to the Tell site in protest of a major housing development and toll road planned for the area. As a result of these efforts, the housing development was abandoned and the area was subsequently saved as a wilderness park.

Realizing the need to be ever vigilant, Burchfield and Chamberlain have continued the project, protesting the development of the San Joaquin Tollroad, documenting the flora and fauna, and continuing to work in the Laguna Wilderness to address quality of life and environmental issues.