A single tree does not make a forest, yet the forest cannot exist without the single tree. The tree becomes the forest the moment it ceases to stand alone in your mind, and you realise it has always been breathing as one with the whole.
'For Rest' explores our relationship with nature through the idea of infinity as a space to inhabit. Drawing on Buddhist philosophies of consciousness and interconnectedness, the work emerged from a desire to find a visual expression of the boundless nature of existence.
The project developed from an earlier photographic study, 'After Nature', made in forests and nature reserves in and around Paris. Through water reflections and dense forestry, these images explore the limits of the photographic frame, distorting our sense of space and distance until the boundaries between subject and surroundings begin to dissolve.
In 'For Rest', this investigation takes on a more deliberate, physical form. Photographed on a 4×5 large-format film camera in a dense forest outside Tours, France, the image brings light and shadow into an almost organic union. The density of the woodland and the interplay of tonal contrasts draw the sky and ground towards one another, unsettling our familiar distinctions between them. Printed on a metallic surface, the image takes on an intensified luminosity, further disrupting our perception of the landscape and transforming it into an immersive, almost abstract space.
The print is supported by a freestanding tripod constructed from foraged oak branches gathered in the UK and bound with jute string. Bringing the image into dialogue with natural materials, the installation draws on the idea of a yantra: an image or object that serves as a focus for contemplation. Conceived as a kind of shrine to nature, the work becomes more than a representation of the landscape; it offers a space for reflection on the underlying unity between ourselves and the world around us, inviting us to slow down and be present.
Ultimately, 'For Rest' offers a spiritual contemplation on our connection to nature and a reminder of the vastness of life that surrounds us when we take the time to observe it.
'After Nature' was exhibited at Memoire de L'Avenir, Paris, in November 2020. 'For Rest' was exhibited at Hidden, Royal College of Art, in October 2024.
