Human.
Sielulintu, Natalie Field
Natalie Field’s highly anticipated Human.Nature opens at Berman Contemporary in Sandton on 5 April and runs until 19 April 2018. The following in-depth insight into the creation of the works and the thinking behind them is written by Natalie Field.
T
he story of our universe begins with a singularity. Due to some inconceivable force, space expanded, and matter formed. The stars, the earth, oceans, animals and even our bodies, are all made from this matter
While Nature is the underlying theme of the work, there are several subtexts worth mentioning. The cosmos as a cyclical, closed system that demands balance, supports philosophies on non-duality. My work reflects
that has existed since the beginning of time. The Merriam-
the principle of the Tao Taijitu: the yin and yang illustrating the
Webster dictionary has a term for this collective: NATURE.
interconnectedness of contradictory, yet complimentary dualistic
We are, quite literally, stardust. Human.Nature considers humanity and our relationship
forces that together create a monistic whole. This mercurial and ephemeral nature of Nature is
with nature: both the external environment as well as our
explored through concepts around creation, evolution and
inner biology. It reflects upon matter (creation, the body)
metamorphosis. Einstein’s first law of thermodynamics
and form (consciousness, the soul). It is a return to nature.
states that energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it
The city-dweller reconnecting with the earth. Soft moss
can only be changed from one form to another. Through
under bare feet. Cold air against warm body. The body that
my work, I wish to celebrate this infinite cycle of life and
will eventually return to the soil to give life anew.
alleviate the fear of death. For, in time, this energy that was
This body of work is very personal to me; it is my reaction to the fear of dying, my search for solace. As such, I thought it pertinent to act as the protagonist in these narratives concerned with the balance between life and death, and vice versa.
70 / Creative Feel / March 2018
once you will transmute to form new life. To me, this continuation of the life-force is the transmigration of the soul. Human.Nature was first conceived while in residence at the Arteles Creative Centre in Finland, where I spent the month