Boasting the highest air temperature ever recorded, Death Valley is one of the hottest places on earth. The park’s two main towns are called Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells. It is the very embodiment of man’s preoccupation with his own mortality. Yet, despite this fascination, it is all too common for people to look to the future or reflect on the past, and never really pay attention to the present. In this work, Wilcockson plays with the idea that we should make the most of the present: in relation to both time and the gifts that have been afforded to us. By presenting his photographs in a wooden box and prefacing them with a quote from Thoreau, he attempts to evoke a sense that the box itself is a present of some sort, as well as highlighting the importance of embracing both the moment and the gifts of the natural world. The photographs themselves depict a figure travelling through an undulating landscape, serving as a metaphor for romantic relationships and for life itself: it is a journey. Sometimes things might seem perfectly normal and sometimes we might find ourselves lost in a sea of abstraction. This concept is nicely complemented by the aesthetic beauty of the desert. The voluptuous forms of the dunes intermingle with the form of the female figure to add an almost sensual feel to the final few photographs. The first of Wilcockson's published books, the original copy of Death Valley 2017 was initially housed in the locked stacks collection of the Bowes Art & Architecture Library at Stanford University.