For my piece I wanted to focus on the concept of nature reclaiming its space. Especially living in the city, construction for new buildings are everywhere, with glimpses of nature within the crevices of the constructed city. For the construction of this piece, I gathered images of trees, bridges, signs, plants, vines, power lines, and I combined a small piece from the building next to Rowe to add a small detail of deconstruction to the sunken hotel.
Review by Shyana Marvelle:
ReplyDeleteIn this image, we have what appears to be a hotel sinking into the water. The building is covered in kudzu or some other invasive plants. Other elements like telephone poles caving into each other are present. There is wildlife in the water such as ducks and geese. There is foliage in the background as well as the foreground. There is a sign in the bottom right corner that lists things that are not allowed in this area, which are all activities humans do. Finally, I see a bridge that appears to be intact and is directly under the telephone poles.
This image gives a post-apocalyptic feel. The only signs of humanity are what we have built, including man-made structures like building, bridges, telephone poles, and signage. The plants growing up on the sides of the building give off the feeling that nature is taking over. The animals in the water also appear to have “reclaimed” their space. The signage also helps me believe that this was an area that was supposed to be preserved and taken care of but that did simply not happen.
The photo uses scale well and things that are happening in both the foreground as well as the background, seem to be proportionate. One thing I noticed immediately was some areas have smudging which creates a feeling that the image is a painting. I like the way this looks but there are some areas where it feels like it did not persist such as the bottom right bush. When it comes to the structures, I can feel the heaviness of the building. I think the movement in the water where the ripples appear gives a great sense of movement. I wish there was more movement or definition in the water when it came to the building sinking although I understand that this could be an act that happened over time. The foliage in the back overlaps really well with the bridge that was added. I almost wish this happened more throughout the piece. One thing I would suggest would be to add more foliage or change the bush that's in the bottom right corner. This one doesn't seem as intentional as the others and I think the edges could be feathered more if you stuck with this particular plant.
I would propose the theory that this is land that was once enjoyed by humans. I feel as if nature itself took over. Given there are no people around it gives the idea that humans have been exterminated and now, nature is angry and tearing down everything man-made. The birds seem to be at peace and this is only going to get worse over time. I can picture the whole world's man-made creations just being destroyed by animals and covered in vines and plants.
This is a really creative piece and I think It creates a heavy feeling for a viewer to feel and experience without actually having to experience it. Awesome job!