Contemplating the Unspoken: Nature as a Path to Presence
With the increase in the use and relevance of digital technology, our relationship with time and space has shifted away from its natural axis. The visual field hosts a Cold War of stimuli, competing for what we see in the present. We are induced into interruption in any attempt at full presence.
A city that allows itself to be visually occupied by communications from capital relinquishes the spiritual meaning of the environment. In doing so, it tramples the inactivity of the being and steals the space of knowledge that would naturally come with living.
“Only silence makes us capable of hearing the unheard. The obligation to communicate, in contrast, leads to the reproduction of the same.” (Chung Han, 2023) The absence of silence empties communication and self-perception. Without full presence, we are unaware of who we are in that moment, and thus, communication becomes an automatic reproduction of what we already know, rather than a unique expression suited to each situation. Nature carries infinite probabilities, just as our bodies do, if we are able to withstand the: s i l e n c e before the solution.
The wave that returns to the ocean, accompanied by everything it gathers, is revolt. The wave that arrived slowly, named a newborn, and brought the glow of a new life, is gentle. The nature surrounding us communicates. There are natural acts, unrelated to human hands, that sensorially communicate what is still unspeakable in words. We recognize virility when we see a horse run, introspection when we hear the sound of rain, and loneliness when the wind blows, and only then do we realize we are not alone.
If we are capable of contemplating the space belonging to nature, we will come into contact with visual expressions capable of illuminating what is still in shadow inside us. Lets return to nature so that through it, we can see our truth. “Proust considers that life, within itself, incessantly weaves new threads between events, forming a dense fabric of relationships where nothing is isolated. Truth is a relational event. It produces consensus everywhere.” (Chung Han, 2023). Lets reference nature so that through it we can recognize what seems incomprehensible, even though sensed.
The feelings that belong to us but are still internally abstract need personal reflection to be recognized. However, with goals as purpose, capitalist society leads to the dissociation of who we are, to the detriment of the false illusion that a person’s value belongs to their production. This results in the rejection of the present in search of happiness that is supposedly coming in the future, from something external to the body.
“The current noise of communication and information, however, puts an end to the society of listeners. No one listens, everyone produces.” (Chung Han, 2023). With the current noise of communication, feelings pass through the body and remain abstract, without recognition and personal particularity.
“Everyday life, with all its models accepted without questioning thought and behavior, is the construct of the impersonal.” (Chung Han, 2023) In contrast to the lack of listening in contemporary society, I want to visually expose situations in nature that deeply align with our feelings. Instead of “I am sad”—which is often a distant definition from the feeling that runs through us—a tree that is a companion to a storm, having its roots ripped out. How many layers can natural expression add to the recognition of feelings?
What passes through our field of vision and is assimilated, beyond what we see, but what we contemplate, reflects what we are and what we become: That heavy cloud that made its feeling appear and the calmer day after a recognition established in the world. “…thinking is not pure activity and spontaneity. The contemplative dimension that inhabits it transforms it into a correspondence.” (Chung Han, 2023). Contemplation is the antonym of the construct of the impersonal, of living every day without perceiving what happens within. With this, I see the relevance of identifying scenes from nature that reveal deep recognition expressions. And documenting the process of contemplation, identifying visual meanings, and relating them to the feelings.
"Today I am.."
As part of the project, I have captured images inspired by the argumentation, focusing on the expressions found in nature. The next phase of my work involves continuing the process of contemplation and photography, while also correlating these visual elements with emotions to develop a cohesive system.
different path
tranformation
home
blast
meeting thoughts
death
holding
cold scar
drown
life x death
holding
new chances
despair/sight
fragile
stay
new chances
fading
boiling point
As part of my research, I reviewed all the interviews available at the People’s Museum of Brazil, a governmental institution that collects testimonies from Brazilians from diverse backgrounds. Using the "Control F" function, I specifically searched for references to emotions in the interviews to analyze how individuals express their feelings. This process provided valuable insights, revealing several patterns. One key observation was that the most common way people described their emotions was without clear definitions, often using vague expressions such as "I was feeling too much." This reinforces my argument that emotions are subjective and do not always align with words. As a result, I aim to propose a new approach to help individuals recognize and articulate their emotions more effectively.
Full project proposal:
