If you were to ask me when I first started my photography degree, “what would my final body of work look like?”. I would have said “a series of perfectly composed portraits or an advertisement campaign that was executed to a professional standard.” However quite unexpectedly, the three years of my study on photographic art drew me further away from straight shooting with a camera and closer to other methods that are alternative to traditional photography. Throughout my experimentation I became fascinated with complex natural patterns and any way in which I could document or recreate them.

When it was time to produce my final body of work, I was determined to find out why I was so drawn towards collecting and documenting botanical specimens from places that were of significance to my childhood.

With thorough research on the topic I discovered that as children we connect with nature through scavenging and collecting found items such as seedpods, rocks and leaves. The role and process of imagination that goes into this play, experimentation and exploration of nature at such a young age can greatly assist with the development of cognitive skills. Most importantly, it’s how we establish that initial emotional connection with the natural environment. It enables us to feel empathy towards living species other than ourselves, a characteristic that will determine the future of our planet.

By doing this now as an adult I was revisiting the places in which as a child I made those crucial initial connections with my natural environment (such as my backyard, local park, my grandparents’ backyard, my neighbours’ backyard).  

The process of scanning was symbolic of me recognising the significance of the botanical specimens. Therefore, by taking the digital documentations and collaging them together to create a natural form that doesn’t exist in real life is evidence of my revisitation, acknowledgment and perspective now as an adult. All occurring within the postcode of 4051.

Aside from the personal context to these photographs; the overarching aim of this body of work is to reintroduce viewers back to nature in a hope to reignite that emotional connection that they themselves experienced as a child.