Concrete Habitat
by Amanda Arcuri
This series, Concrete Habitat, speaks of mans growing disconnect with nature and how we have become more familiar with concrete than we have with the living, organic world. We have become accustomed to the sight of trees and plants embedded in concrete, watching them grasp for air amongst the towering buildings. In this series we see the opposite. We see the natural landscape playing as a stage for the man-made objects placed in such a way that they appear out of context. As a result, the urban and industrial components are reduced to strange and obsolete objects, drawing attention to themselves by highlighting their absurdness.
The dark mood of the landscapes is revealed through the temperamental clouds which give off a soft dim lighting, further illustrating the gloomy, misty ambience suggesting an impending tragedy. However uniform the mood, the discrepancies in perspective, season and lighting highlight that these scenes are constructed.
Just as we view things from our memory as soft, unclear thoughts, visions of a possible future can be equally unclear. The overall tone is reminiscent of romantic landscape paintings, their aged quality enhanced by what seem to be chemical stains found in historical photographic processes. However obviously constructed, the reference to early documentary landscape photos only helps these images seem almost believable. The photo montages are made to emulate the appearance of something from the past, while in truth point to the future.
One would claim that our future landscapes should not look this way, but the images' romantic aesthetic pulls us towards their acceptance. This formal seduction attracts the viewer to something that should otherwise be considered abhorrent. By tricking us into believing that this could be a normal scene, these constructed images demonstrate the ways we have taken over the natural world.