Symphony
Personal Project
Summer 2020
Sketchup, Lumion, Photoshop
Can reflections change our
perceptions on existence?
Norway, 2018.
In a society governed by social media, we are losing sight of how large the world can be. While traveling, I often see people taking photographs of themselves in nature; while it may be nice to share memories with friends and followers, these photographs turn the focus away from the landscape, and instead to the people. Nature is humbling because it is a testament to our own fragility. From clothes to buildings, everything we do is to protect ourselves from nature. While backpacking in Jotunheimen National Park, the sheer size and grandeur of the landscape etched itself into my memory. I photographed two people who had camped overnight on the ridge, dwarfed by the surrounding landscape that looked like the backs of prehistoric beasts. That photograph and the feeling of awe and insignificance inspired this project. The walkway uses the semi-reflective properties of glass to let visitors see themselves imposed onto the landscapes around them. Hopefully, this brings about the realization that we’re just passerbys in the great symphony of life.
Double exposures on film (left, middle) can capture different scenes in a single photograph. Reflections on glass (bottom) also create an effect similar to double exposures — becoming a window into two worlds. As part of the walkway, the glass (right) creates a ghostly reflection of someone in two different perspectives, letting them visualize themselves in the vastness of the landscape.
Render of reflection in landscape setting
The walkway was modeled after the elevation profile of the hike itself, serving as commentary on experiencing the same landscape through a different lens. The narrowing of the walkway directs the passerby’s gaze toward the glass, where reflections blend landscapes. Moving through the structure immerses the passerby into the reflected scenes and encourages them to contemplate.
