NEW WORLD
In New World I photograph small sections of the natural landscape in order to explore how we strive to make sense of nature’s complexity through visual means. The desire to connect to nature is a universal one, as is the constant attempt to understand its seeming chaos. My attention to form and composition in these photographs emulates the inclination to organize nature.
Complicating the view of unspoiled nature, each photograph has some evidence of the inescapable human intervention into the land. This suggests that nature is not something separate from culture, but rather is influenced by, and inextricably linked to, human creation and waste. To varying degrees, the natural world can accommodate our additions to the environment, as in the tree which grew around a metal sign. However, in some instances, like a tree plantation in Florida, the natural order has been subjugated by the rows of trees planted by humans.
The majority of these photographs were made within the Hudson Valley region of New York (but in places as diverse as Arizona, Alabama and Massachusetts) in 2005-06 for my undergraduate thesis at Bard College, using a 4”x5” camera. Since then I have lived in Portland, Oregon and now in Chicago, Illinois, where I am an MFA candidate in Photography at Columbia College Chicago. My work continues to explore the relationship between culture and nature, though I’ve moved indoors to find immersive views of (un)natural landscapes made with household items.
© All copyright remains with photographer Nick Albertson