25 July, 2024

• What is your understanding of the word ‘nature’? How is this term problematic?

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The term "nature" has various meanings and can bring to mind images of the world around us—such as forests, mountains, rivers, wildlife, and landscapes. Essentially, "nature" refers to the physical world, encompassing everything from small plants to the large ecosystems that support life on Earth. In photography, "nature" often serves as a subject that photographers seek to capture in its pure, unaltered state, celebrating the beauty and complexity of the natural world. 

Photographing nature can pose ethical challenges, especially in terms of its impact on wildlife and ecosystems and the representation of the natural world.  For example, photographers may unintentionally disturb natural habitats or cause stress to animals, raising ethical concerns about using nature for artistic purposes.

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The term "nature" can be problematic in photographic practice for several reasons. This raises questions about the authenticity of images depicting nature in photography. For example, capturing a landscape might ignore the reality of human impact on that environment, such as climate change or deforestation. This can lead to an idealized representation of nature that doesn't reflect the current state of the world or the opposite- "They show it as uncontroll­able, dangerous or even malicious, a Nature opposed to humans and ready to ‘strike back’ for the cruelties inflicted on it by humanity."  Dorothea Born has stated, "Images that evoke strong emotional responses in viewers may have unintended consequences in communicating climate change. Processing images is much more immediate than reading text. Images of natural disasters can evoke emotions such as shock, fear, dismay, or even despair."

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"In the brilliant article "Nature Gone Wild" by Dorothea Born, it is stated:

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"Conceptions of Nature and climate change are entrenched in the visuals we use to represent them. As climate change alters our relationship with Nature, it is all the more important to look at what these conceptions are and at the consequences for understanding and coun­teracting climate change. Ironically, such images often re-evoke a dualistic idea of Nature and Culture, which stands in contrast to the messy and complex reality of human-climate relationships.

"To tackle climate change it will be necessary to foster new conceptions of Nature. We should come up with visuals and representations that do justice to the interconnectedness of Nature and Culture. We need to start seeing Nature in humans and the human in Nature. Showing humanity and Nature as inherently connected and interwoven may foster an understanding of the struc­tural causes of climate change. Only identifying these causes will help us truly address the changing climate."​​

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• How are location and environment featured in your work?

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• What is the relationship between your practice and human consumption?