when i look to the sky, my eyes begin to callus
2024-
when i look to the sky, my eyes begin to callus is an image and sound-based investigation that examines human dominance over the natural world. The defining point of the separation of man and nature, and how it has become a choke point for humans to control has been a central focus of this project. Situating myself to photograph the spaces that the ones above us— the self-established gods, those who are gluttonous for power— have determined to be “nature”, I am calling into question the significance of the oppression and control of The Natural and its lasting effects on our society. I define “The Natural” as a non-neutral arbitrator that represents non-domesticated nature and humans’ natal ties to the Earth. By navigating how human interruption and its erasure of histories and ecologies manifest themselves for personal and capital gain, I am searching for subtleties, weaving details into the composition that shift the principles of the image. I am using The Natural as an allegorical figure that provides direct evidence that human jurisdiction and dominance have detrimental effects. Surveying the human’s hand in nature, the disruption it causes, and the fragmentations of ghosts it leaves behind, the project reveals the link between desire for control over nature and diminishing human rights.