floral photographic artist series of exploding floral spheres in reaction to the BP Deepwater Horizon ecocide incident
FUSION; the process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single entity : a fusion of an idea.
In 'Fusion', common flora is transposed into an ambiguous setting juxtaposed against violent chemical reactions. Spheres of light - microcosm of raw power - glow from the intererior of these floral spheres, referencing the true power of nature and the source of life on earth: the sun.
Comparable to visions of space, explosive reactions within a star and the formation of a distant stellar object referencing the Big Bang, these images represent a fleeting moment in time - a snapshot view of the birth of a fire already long extinguished. The beauty, colour and purity of these most volatile reactions having already faded into darkness - destroying the floral globes that housed them in the process. I see this as a metaphor for our own existence: compared to vast expanse of space and time, we, like these reactions, flash into being and fade quickly back into the darkness. Thus, 'Fusion' not only acts as a reminder of the beauty of life and nature but also of its transience. One moment we are glorious luminescent beings, the next we are dust.
The images in 'Fusion' distil the beauty of creation but also act as images of destruction with these balls of pure light and energy engulfing and obliterating their protective yet fragile floral entities. These works present a delicate aesthetic filled with visual representations of the power and veracity of destructive forces - recording unique and unrepeatable events which demonstrate great power and strength as well as vulnerability and uncertainty.
'Fusion' can also be seen to reference contemporary environmental concerns - representing the destruction and havoc we are inflicting on nature and our planet as a species. This series was started as a direct protest at the BP Oil disaster where 5 million barrels of oil poured into the Golf of Mexico 20th April 2010. The gusher that was left behind after the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank is still leaking to this date.
For me 'Fusion' depicts not only the power, beauty and frailty of the natural world; but act as a reminder that even organisms we observe everyday and dismiss without even realising, are the result of the most amazing, monumental and profound series of events. We must do everything to protect them.
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