Rising carbon dioxide levels, species extinction and deforestation are putting humanity and the natural environment in deep waters - literally. The oceans and the atmosphere are conspiring against us, bringing extreme temperatures and sea levels rising at an accelerating rate. It is widely recognised that the way we live is tremendously catastrophic towards our environment and the planet has become agitated. At the rate climate change is advancing, we see evidence of the planet responding and fighting back frequently with its increase in natural disasters.
The Humans VS Nature table is inspired by the rapidly growing tension between humans and nature.
PROCESS
This project was triggered through an analysis of an observation. Walking by the river, I came across a vast amount of natural moss growths breaking through the pavement. This caused me to wonder - is the moss that manages to surface through the pavement cracks the superior element? Or is the manmade pavement that determines the pattern of the mosses emergence superior? Who wins in this battle between humans and nature? The pavement attempts to suffocate nature, but are its appearances through the pavement cracks evidence of it fighting back? I became engrossed in this observation that symbolises the widely recognised tension between humans and nature.
The table top design was created using magnified imagery of natural forms layered and edited in various ways. The wooden base resembles the moss and the sandblasted glass corresponds to the pavement partially masking the moss. The glass is veiled in various places and fully reveals the wood emerging through clearly in only some parts. The wooden pattern created using natural imagery is three dimensional, creating an illusion of it rising through the transparent parts of the glass (the cracks of the pavement).
Sketchbook. Click the images to enlarge them.
