In my practice, I catalog the various ways the natural world is presented and reconstructed within western museums. Documenting the life cycle of museum exhibitions from inception to storage depicts how institutions shape nature–both literally and metaphorically.
Dramatic dioramas, interactive virtual experiences, and miniaturized landscapes all act as windows into the natural world. While this framing acts as a guide for reading and understanding nature, the same frame can be analyzed to understand the complex and ever-changing relationship between people and land. Before, natural history museums were one of the only ways to describe unknown landscapes. Now, it takes seconds to visit these spaces digitally. How does this access affect how we see nature, and what role does the digital medium play in informing it? In my photographs, the new digital landscape and museum nature's relationship are contrasted and connected.
Austin Cullen
Joe Fertitta
John Allen
Joshua Mokry
Mason Cullen
Sam Jentsch
Collective
192.168.0.1
afaikcollective.com