Whispers in the Bark
Preserving my beloved oak tree on campus. The four-foot-tall fences and signs marking its impending demise motivated me to take action. I turned to literature with images for comfort because I could not express my emotions through photographs alone. Mark Haddoni’s “Trees” resonated with me, evoking a profound reverence for these majestic beings. I meticulously inscribed lines from Haddoni’s poem onto each tree branch and repeated them several times. The process was long and tedious, requiring patience and precision, but ultimately enjoyable. Adorning the tree with poetic verses, I felt a profound connection to nature and a deep-seated determination to honor its memory. Trees BY MARK HADDON They stand in parks and graveyards and gardens. Some of them are taller than department stores, yet they do not draw attention to themselves. You will be fitting a heated towel rail one day and see, through the louvre window, a shoal of olive-green fish changing direction in the air that swims above the little gardens. Or you will wake at your aunt’s cottage, your sleep broken by a coal train on the empty hill as the oaks roar in the wind off the channel. Your kindness to animals, your skill at […]
Read More ›
Entangled
In creating this image, I wanted to challenge the AI’s tendency to generate conventionally beautiful visuals. No matter what prompt I initially provided, the results were always uplifting or aesthetically pleasing—yet the true story of our oceans is far from it. After numerous attempts, I finally achieved this haunting portrayal, imagining what it would be like if we stepped into marine life’s shoes. Here, a human figure is engulfed by the plastic debris that threatens our seas every day. By confronting viewers with a stark, unsettling perspective, I hope to spark deeper reflection on our collective responsibility to protect the fragile ecosystems that sustain us.
Read More ›
Masquerade of Consequences, 2022, Self Portrait
In these two images, I would like to draw attention to the issues of ocean pollution caused by plastic and overfishing. The first photograph addresses the problem of overfishing and fishing nets lost in the ocean that have trapped fish for many years. Coastal nations release about 8 million tons of plastic waste annually into the oceans. Around the world, that’s equivalent to five garbage bags full of trash on every foot of the coastline (Parker 2019). The chemical structure of most plastics makes them resistant to natural degradation processes. As an aquatic creature, I demonstrate how plastic waste destroys the environment. By wearing a mask made of plastic debris, I want to show how ocean pollution affects marine creatures and humans. Through this self-portrait, my main goal is to raise awareness about the negative impact of human actions on the environment. Creating a more sustainable and equitable world for marine species requires systemic change. I wanted to do more than just a simple portrait. “It seems that this notion of self-expression should not be the only criteria for self-portraiture. What other uses then can self-portraiture be put to?” (Angela, 1979). I intended to display something that could not be […]
Read More ›
