The Sublime
Sublime, an occurrence that has the power to terrify or overwhelm the viewer, is one that consumes us in the vastness and difficulty of the natural world. The wild and untamed grandeur of nature, looking within landscapes where growth is out of human control. An excellence that is only present when viewing such situations in a particular manner. As a child, we are more compelled by such simplicities of life, we have a fuzzy picture of reality where everything is new and pure, but with time these amplified feelings subside.
But there is still this moment where an overwhelming wave of wonder washes over oneself. It is the mere existence of the natural world- the everchanging and ever-growing landscapes- that can overwhelm and terrify the viewer.
The sublime is a reminder of our own fragility, the mortality of mankind. As quoted by Henry David Thoreau: ‘we are enabled to apprehend at all what is sublime and noble only by the perpetual instilling and drenching of the reality that surrounds us. We can never have enough of nature.’
It is when we are confronted by the sublime, that we are truly reminded of our own mortality. The enduring power of the natural world reminds us of our comparative insignificance. It is the sublime that has the power to be our strongest passion and greatest fear.
This is a short series that depicts the sublime, shot on 120 and developed and scanned myself. Collaborated with fellow classmates to create a magazine which included this project.