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Self(ies) in Nature

Anne Buckingham

Installation by Anne Buckingham

Self(ies) in Nature considers how the natural landscape is compromised by our desire to capture ourselves on screen. Displayed as images in phone cases, the delicate relationship is explored through abstracted cyanotypes and stitched sketches.

The installation Self(ies) in Nature explores our delicate relationship with nature and how that relationship can change focus when viewed through the lens of a phone.

Being in nature benefits us physically and emotionally, and nature in turn benefits from our understanding and respect for it.

This balance can be disturbed when we turn the lens to include ourselves and the perspective changes from nature in the spotlight, to merely being a backdrop to self.

Our need to be centre stage can diminish our ability to be truely present with nature. The artwork questions what is lost when we become the focal point and nature is the accessory.

The abstracted cyanotypes are a collaboration with nature and combine found natural objects and repurposed fabric. Cyanotypes are a form of camera-less photography which rely on the sun for processing and ultimately give nature the final say in the outcome.

The design of the installation highlights our tendency to display our achievements of being in nature. Sketched profiles suggest, however, the fleetingness of humans in comparison to the natural landscape, despite any attempts to dominate it. They are accompanied by thoughts of nature writers, who too, grapple with our complicated relationship with the environment.

The installation follows an Arts Residency at Salamanca Arts Centre.