"Sunrise trickled down its valleys, blood splashed on the cedars, and the grove flooded with the light of sacrifice." excerpt from Omeros by Derek Walcott
Usually nature is described as living and vibrant. More often than not, I see nature as exactly that. But that is very one-dimensional, and does not leave room for other ways of seeing it. There is so much death present in nature, and for this project I set out to find it. In thinking about the concept of thanatos, or death drive, I was reminded of the inescapability of death, not just in human life but also in the life of nature. This inescapability is something that we humans must live with, carrying that mortality with us through life. Eventually, we return to the Earth, and to nature. The various greens in nature do not lend themselves to the thought of death very easily, so I opted to use an infrared filter over my lens. Red, as well as black, are the two colors most associated with death, and both were used in this project for this purpose. Additionally, using both red and black deadens the photograph, stifling the viewer and keeping them caught in death's cold vise. Though this does not mean that death cannot be a beautiful thing. Death can be serene and delicate, with the sunlight or moonlight shining down. Death is found in motion, and in stillness. Nature too, bleeds.
