For my exam project I first looked at the Cycle of Life and I used Natural Selection to represent this.
The Photographs are representations of how humans are sustained by the Earth flipped in reverse, shown through the idea of the infestation over humanity by nature and wildlife, consuming our species. Personifying the Earth as having anger and revenge against humans for what they have done to the planet.
‘Nature’s Womb’ (Photo above) is representational of the beginning of life, and birth. Through the idea that nature is consuming and being sustained from humanity. I like to use the term “Survival of the Fittest” -Herbert Spencer thought of from Charles Darwin's “On the Origin of Species” – in his Principles of Biology (1864). My visual influences for this piece include: Emmet Gowin, Fred Holland Day and Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical womb sketches.
'The Balance of Nature' (above photo) shows nature consuming the subject- representing rebirth and an end. Nature’s Womb the first part of this two piece composite is representational of the beginning of life, and birth. Through the idea that nature is consuming and being sustained from humanity.
I feel that Parasites are a symbol of how creatures are sustained by each other and also how we live from the Earth and it’s plentiful resources~ I wanted to flip this idea in reverse as though nature and the Earth was sustained by us, we are essentially the host of all wildlife, nature and the Earth. I wanted to give a sense of irony, after all you could say that we are the parasites of the planet.
My visual influences for this piece include: Emmet Gowin and Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s
- Apollo and Daphne Sculpture
I was influenced by Ophiocordyceps to create this photograph, I used the antlers to represent the earths grasp over humanity ~ in the same way the fungi disease Ophiocordyceps grows from ants taking advantage of them and controlling their minds. I love pre raphaelite paintings and I try to incorparte fabrics into my photographs, I find something very atmospheric about photographed fabric and light together. I love the pre raphaelite paintings Flaming June and Ophelia.
I wanted to show how humanity became one with nature as it consumes us, representing how we are sustained by our planet. Deforestation, Extinction and Global Warming is a way in which we change the Earth, this is that in reverse, how if the Earth wanted to get revenge and change us in some way.
