Hirofumi Baba BFA Photography Thesis Spring 2018
Here, There, and Everywhere
Here, There, and Everywhere 2018 is an effort to let the people know what nature of the Pacific Northwest has to offer which highlights the vulnerability of nature and the changing environment as a result of human activities.
Based on the experience of living in an apartment where I see the beavers and hear the owls and coyotes, I think about the fluctuations within nature. Through this installation, I encourage the audience to be more aware of the environmental changes in our everyday life.
On a daily basis, the structure of society removes us from nature and our impact on the environment. In the video from my apartment, I am making this connection through the juxtaposition of the passing cars and the trees. The question of “How Long?” prompts the viewers to consider the impermanence of the world as we currently understand it.
I recontextualized the animals and machine within different settings that suggest a collapse of time. The animals might still have been here in downtown Portland if human development did not happen. The machine in the woods indicates the future.
The audio of the owls and coyotes from my apartment, sandhill cranes and geese from Sauvie Island, and construction zones creates an immersive experience.
The sound, images, and video work together to open up space for imagination to reflect on the viewer’s perceptions, starting a ripple effect of dialogue whether it is internal or external.