The Landscape of Culture: People, Place, and Perspective

The Landscape of Culture People, Place, and Perspective

Alden Morris

Editorial

1_LOCATION 2_EXPERIENCE 3_DESIGN 4_JOURNEY 5_PROGRESS 6_NECCESSITY 7_ORDER 8_GROWTH 9_CHOICE 10_ASSISTANCE 11_DIVIDES 12_TIME 13_VISIBILITY 14_HOPE 15_WEALTH 16_IDENTITY

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1_Location Location is often tied to economic opportunity, but this view is flawed. Not to be rejected as a falsehood of personal truth, they are only set by those who decide the greater population’s priorities for ownership. Feel free to take what society values, but consider leaving a part of it for others to enjoy as well. Here you see people grounded in shorefront properties, what they (and we all) may associate to superior location. However, I’ll assume this feeling of grounded wealth is only enjoyed for a fraction of what it is worth to cumulative public enjoyment. Luckily, my location from this shot is tied to a much more superior place: a public one. It is available and accessible to all.

Edinburgh, Scotland 11 mm I f / 22 I 1/15 sec I 100 iso

2_Experience Throughout history, higher elevations presented military advantage. Today, they present a more aesthetic purpose: a sense of awe, and an endpoint for adventure. They are a promise of surprise even with full knowledge of the surroundings. They create a yearning for ‘that’ experience and a plan for tomorrow. The phrases “One day” or “We have to” are uttered soon after one hears of its existence.

Edinburgh, Scotland 35 mm I f / 5.0 I 1/200 sec I 100 iso

3_Design Successful design is not dependent on a degree or instruction. The placement of this bench could have just as easily come from a blacksmith as it could have come from an architect. Experience and emotion trump that which you may read in a book. An unsolved mystery to even the most intelligent of seven billion, the understanding of what makes us human eludes us. As individual as it is endless, we may think on our own, but present similarities in attraction and understanding. Even those distant may agree to a similar pleasure. We shouldn’t be based on our individuality, but rather on an ability to understand and present similarities.

Edinburgh, Scotland 11 mm I f / 14 I 1/200 sec I 200 iso

4_Journey A cyclical tide determines how one enjoys this park. When low, adventures lead down an unveiled path to an uninhabited island. Whether nature allows you to pass or not, the need to attend persists until your name finds its way on her list. Wait not for your turn, but rather listen to her schedule. We build bridges for entry on demand, rather than taking time to enjoy the journey presented. A worthwhile story lays in the journey, frustration, and more timely adventure than it does as a passing of guaranteed occurrence.

Edinburgh, Scotland 11 mm I f / 20 I 1/40 sec I 400 iso

5_Progress Her jagged edges present an ecosystem of change from lowest depths to highest peaks.

Even where light cannot reach, something persists. Nature clings to each and every possibility of survival. Humans behave similarly, yet we transcend survival and strive for life. We live for the moment and opportunity, rather than only that which sustains us. We hope for a brighter future, even when there is presently greater dark than light. We fight for a gasp of air and to float above the water. At that juncture, only the individual can decide to keep going. The highest peaks are only those you set for yourself.

San Sebastiån, Spain 35 mm I f / 2.2 I 1/1000 sec I 100 iso

6_Neccessity The background forest is a memory of the foreground rumble. Only months ago, a great fire swept through this land and nature claimed back what it once chose to produce. What is perceived as a catastrophe is in fact a necessity for new growth. While it took much away, the fire put just as much back. Newly deposited nutrients and seedbanks will now grow in a place once uninhabitable. While it may at first puzzle us, sometimes there is a need to burn. Only from the rubble can you find those parts of yourself that truly matter.

A forest in the landscape of our minds can become overgrown. What we perceive as healthy may in fact not be. At the lowest parts in life’s timeline, look not at what is gone, but at what can now present itself.

Northern Portugal

35 mm I f / 9.0 I 1/640 sec I 200 iso

7_Order Grapes are now planted in absolute order, allowed only to grow in constraints and harvested in bulk. They are harvested not only for wine, but also for food in the supermarket. They were once only grown in small batches, personalized and cared for on an individual level.

Is our society much different? In a landscape of glorious mountains and vast networks of opportunity, we are pressured into about as many choices as these grapes. Success is presented as one of few paths, and failure lies in the weeds which grow and develop where passions lie. When did we begin to care more for bulk than for individuality? An alternate reality would have society supporting others no matter what path they choose to take, not stood in lines and trained for as little difference as in these grapes. Ever notice how a single blemish on a piece of fruit at the supermarket, no matter how small, deems it unacceptable? There is not a person on this earth who doesn’t have at least one blemish, no matter how small.

Rioja Valley, Spain

35 mm I f / 11 I 1/160 sec I 100 iso

8_Growth In the formation of civilizations, growth originated from rurality and led to urban utopias.

However, this only occurred with a surplus of rural accomplishment, when those not needing to constantly farm could specialize in other professions and help develop complex societies. Many people might now regard rural communities as less important than urban ones. In government and policies, they are unrepresented for the contribution they present. It has been forgotten that without this foundation, those with power would not exist. Only in places of instability do political leaders understand the importance of rural communities. Dense urban populations without food lead to riots and political turmoil.

Those in charge are dependent upon rural infrastructure, so they treat rural policies equally to urban ones. Why is it that in some first world countries, where communities are in theory more complex and superior, is this fundamental understanding lost?

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain 11 mm I f / 22 I 1/5 sec I 100 iso

9_Choice How many ducklings do you see? Look closer. Which one is it better to be?

Madrid, Spain

35 mm I f / 2.2 I 1/400 sec I 100 iso

10_Assistance When presented with clear direction or assistance, some individuals choose not to listen.

Not only with signage, but also with other things. When it is someone’s livelihood and the sustenance of their current existence, we sometimes choose not to listen. Some never partake in what they truly enjoy in life because they seem to not have the time for it. Sometimes that may be true, but it may also be a byproduct of personal choice for inefficiency and distrust. In a world where increased efficiency and quality is the goal of most occupations, the products of someone’s efforts are pushed away. Take into consideration the thoughts of those around you. They may simply be trying to help you.

After all, it is their purpose in that situation.

Guimaraes, Portugal 11 mm I f / 9.0 I 1/25 sec I 100 iso

11_Divides There is always a divide. How obvious or defined that line may be varies, but there is always someone persisting to maintain it. Personal success is second to cumulative gain and creating divided accomplishment trumps cumulative perspective. However, not all divides are negative. This divide aims to clarify use for the wellbeing of its participants.

Without this divide, those who cannot see past their own needs would create rules that might challenge the greater community’s understanding. Those rules may not be for cumulative gain or perspective, viewed internally as a heightened importance above all others. It may be good to create divides in some situations, for the greater good.

New York, NY, USA

35 mm I f / 2.2 I 1/2000 sec I 100 iso

12_Time Is there ever an accurate way to record the passage of time? No matter the methodology, it will come with a lens through which its results are skewed. Here you can observe exactly where cars have passed based on their headlights and taillights. What isn’t shown are all of the people that passed through the space. Their presence didn’t persist in one location for long enough to show as a solid object and was not bright enough to preserve in passing. Even though this most accurately shows one aspect, it completely erases another. Who is to say it is not as important, or even more important, than the other?

Record however you want, but take into consideration what you may miss. Life is too complex to capture everything.

Edinburgh, Scotland 11 mm I f / 22 I 63.0 sec I 100 iso

13_Visibility How much do you really need to see in the dark? How clear does it need to be? In unfamiliar places, what amount of light presents enough trust to proceed? If there is only one option, would you turn back if the path ahead was uncertain? The image here is both darkened and blurred, with only subtle guidelines presented. Would you follow the lights, the building edges or stone patterns? Would you walk or run, and in the center or sides?

Or stand still and not take the next step in life’s journey?

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain 35 mm I f / 1.8 I 1/50 sec I 800 iso

14_Hope I believe humans are drawn to sunsets for the promise of a new day. In line with human tendencies, they are predictable in time. They are a public domain that can be viewed from anywhere in the world. Free of wealth or equality, they are a work of art that can never be owned. There is no worry for their disappearance or containment. Although dependent on weather, quality is not questioned, but rather sought after with a blank check. Whether it be a sliver or panoramic perspective, both unintentional and intentional encounters strike an almost inescapable pause in human routine. Something so predictable, yet equally as remarkable every time.

Syracuse, NY, USA

35 mm I f / 18 I 1/30 sec I 100 iso

15_Wealth This estate was once owned by a wealthy family. As with many grandiose houses, its entranceway, and just about every other part of it, presents an image. A projection of importance and wealth to those who approach and occupy it. Why is it that we need to present our accomplishments in such a manner? Doing little for our self-worth over its lifetime of ownership, who does it ultimately benefit? Some things never change.

Today’s estates and construction follow the same guidelines, yet are no longer bound by engineering limitations. There are now buildings that reach above the clouds and people planning to live in space. For what reason is it necessary to permanently occupy an area in the clouds? For the mere saying that you do, which, in itself, becomes an unattractive sense of entitlement.

Edinburgh, Scotland 11 mm I f / 20 I 1/50 sec I 400 iso

16_Identity A part of Edinburgh, Scotland’s World Heritage Site, this street corner exemplifies the medieval architecture of its time. It is this architecture, and the story of its history and landscape that draws millions of tourists each year. Today, it stands in a planning standstill between old and new use. The city is struggling to balance the need for expansion and the preservation of its history. This building is now a world-class hotel in a medieval shell. While this building has been repurposed, construction costs are too often the only factor for which new use is elected over complete demolition. While investors should be encouraged, they should also be educated in the reasoning behind their land being so precious. In the New Town portion of the site, infill of modern styles clash with the original Victorian designs. When you look at them, they look as if they could have been placed in New York City or Paris, not in Edinburgh, Scotland, a place with truly preserved character slowly being torn apart.

Edinburgh, Scotland 11 mm I f / 10 I 1/30 sec I 400 iso

Photography and Text: Alden Morris Lansing, NY, USA Editor: Sam Perkins

Just because your ideas are right doesn’t mean another’s are wrong.