honorable mention
Heedoo Yoon united states
title
Lost Nature
Lost Nature focuses on city trees and private plants in cityscapes. The series shows my visual experience about human manipulation of nature because the plants looked like they lost their way to live in the city. In front of buildings, the plants were planted in narrow space(or pots) and even sculpted in some shapes which their owners would like. Definition of nature in cities doesn’t create an image of a sound relationship between various animals and plants. It creates a feeling of being detached from life and being artificially planted and treated by humans.
Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering in 2014.
Executive manager of Come Y Bebe in Seoul, South Korea(2013 - 2017)
Started Master of Fine Arts degree in Academy of Art University, 2017.
My main subject matter is always related to nature. I see diverse states of nature through city trees, dead tree logs, and even potted or sculpted plants. When I was nine years old, my mother gave me a book about environmental awareness. Even though the book was designed for children, I was surprised by the fact that so many things were happening on Earth. The things were very harmful to the environment. Seven years later, my photographic journey started when I was sixteen years old. I received a small digital camera from my father, which was a free gift he had received when he bought a new TV. At that time, fortunately, taking photographs was an outlet for me to relieve the stress caused by my studying for Korea’s National Academic Aptitude Test. I spent lots of time to find my own subjects suitable for my visual interest. I focused on still life and landscape subjects because I was too shy to talk to people or take pictures of them. I decided not to find employment in the field of environmental engineering because I thought that photography would be a more effective way to make people see current environmental issues. I wanted to share my own photographic vision with people around the world and prompt discussions so that people can make the world a better place for the next generation.
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entry description
I spent my childhood in a small forest around my family’s house. I learned how trees grow, get old, and die in nature by watching them. After moving to Seoul, I couldn’t find nature but potted plants and city trees. When I moved to San Francisco, plants were even sculpted and growing in narrow space. I found that this scenery was quite uncomfortable.Lost Nature focuses on city trees and private plants in cityscapes. The series shows my visual experience about human manipulation of nature because the plants looked like they lost their way to live in the city. In front of buildings, the plants were planted in narrow space(or pots) and even sculpted in some shapes which their owners would like. Definition of nature in cities doesn’t create an image of a sound relationship between various animals and plants. It creates a feeling of being detached from life and being artificially planted and treated by humans.
about the photographer
Born in 1989, Seoul, South Korea.Bachelor's degree in environmental engineering in 2014.
Executive manager of Come Y Bebe in Seoul, South Korea(2013 - 2017)
Started Master of Fine Arts degree in Academy of Art University, 2017.
My main subject matter is always related to nature. I see diverse states of nature through city trees, dead tree logs, and even potted or sculpted plants. When I was nine years old, my mother gave me a book about environmental awareness. Even though the book was designed for children, I was surprised by the fact that so many things were happening on Earth. The things were very harmful to the environment. Seven years later, my photographic journey started when I was sixteen years old. I received a small digital camera from my father, which was a free gift he had received when he bought a new TV. At that time, fortunately, taking photographs was an outlet for me to relieve the stress caused by my studying for Korea’s National Academic Aptitude Test. I spent lots of time to find my own subjects suitable for my visual interest. I focused on still life and landscape subjects because I was too shy to talk to people or take pictures of them. I decided not to find employment in the field of environmental engineering because I thought that photography would be a more effective way to make people see current environmental issues. I wanted to share my own photographic vision with people around the world and prompt discussions so that people can make the world a better place for the next generation.
back to gallery