by McKenna Petersen 2022

As a new resident of a cityscape, I began to feel my connection to nature slipping away. In order to strengthen that connection, I chose to explore the concrete jungle in search of how nature and the man-made world intertwine. I illustrate this through photographs the two subjects intersecting, such as plants peeking through fences, tree roots enclosed in a boundary, or concrete pavements placed parallel to patches of grass and dirt. 

This documentation is captured using digital photography. The color images are transformed into black and white in order to set the focus on the dynamic relationship of the subjects. By doing so, the intersecting crossroads is more clearly evaluated through form and composition. 

By searching for the role of nature in the city, I discovered a juxtaposing relationship of wanting to beautify the concrete world by using the natural aspects that were stripped away in order to create it in the first place. From my observations, the urban planning of the city aims to include nature, but only in the boundaries it defines. The relationship between the cityscape and natural elements meet at a crossroads of connecting and growing together.