“Reaching” and “Flood” are works by John Mullinax. He is a traditional artist, photographer, and naturalistic landscape designer near Detroit, Michigan, USA. Connect with him on Mastodon or the web here.
This piece is part of a larger, long-running project I call "Man vs. Nature". The name is a conceit. We tend to see "nature" as something apart from ourselves. I hope these images will help viewers come to conclude, on their own, that we are not apart from nature, but a part *of* nature. What we do to nature we do to ourselves. We've collectively been enshitifying our planet for many years. This piece aims to stimulate viewers to question our relationship with nature.
This photo shows a beautiful winter scene, but upon close inspection we see that what appears to be a river is actually a walking path covered with sewage-filled flood water. The sewage overflow into the nearby river, which helped cause this flooded path, also keeps the water from freezing. As I made this photo I marvelled at the beautiful scene which existed only because I was standing in a pool of my own shit. This piece seeks to stimulate questions in the viewer about our real relationship with the environment (things are not always what they seem).