Natural Elements Series
By Marie-Suzanne Nunes
18 Feb 2009
To quote Kahlil Gibran:
"You and the Leaf are one. There is a difference only in heartbeats."
This series presents 11 photographs from a collection of 28 black and white photographs, created using traditional printing and darkroom techniques, of the green world. This body of work communicates the importance of our connection and necessary reconnection with plants in our world.
The innate design of plants has fascinated me for as long as I can remember and has become a great source of inspiration. Their need for light to photosynthesize is matched by my need of light to photograph them. The "Natural Elements" collection is an exploration of forces, forms, balance and rhythm associated with the intriguing world of plants. Looking beyond their aesthetic elements, with few exceptions, plants are the basis of all natural systems, including the ones we live in. Human civilization has been based on plants for millennia. Trees for example, traditionally provided unique sources of food, fuel for fire, materials for shelter, transportation and implements for catching food (e.g. bow and arrow). The Asmat culture of Indonesia (i.e. Irian Jaya) has based their entire social belief system on trees because of their importance. However, today so many of us are disconnected from plants as we are overwhelmed by our technological society. We no longer appreciate even the fundamental roles they play for our survival including providing a clean, breathable atmosphere.
The introspective and landscape scales of my photographic images are intertwined to search for expressions that words cannot touch - the result of an emotional experience. I wish to record an understanding of our interconnectedness with plants and their importance now and forever. The challenge for us is to perceive new ways of seeing qualities of light, subtle tones of greys, strong emphasis of the blacks and the softness of the whites into an inspiration, an awareness of these plants and the pressures they face in the modern world.
If you wish to view the remainder of the photographs of this series, please go to www.fotomoments.com
4 responses
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Ebla Maleh gave props (18 Feb 2009):
beautiful captures and theme... good job!
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Richard Seah gave props (20 Feb 2009):
Hey I love this series. Excellent "alternative" presentation of greenery. Very well done. BTW I thought your name was familiar, then I realised you did the Thaipusam series.
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Morgan Courtney gave props (8 Mar 2009):
Beautifully done.
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Great collection!
