Presence, Attention and Encounter
Some of my encounters with natural environments have developed through simply staying, observing and allowing time to pass without a predetermined intention to produce something.
At times, I have found myself remaining in a place longer than I initially intended. As movement slows down and attention becomes more focused, the relationship between myself and the environment begins to change. Things that were initially unnoticed can gradually become visible: small movements, sounds, changes in light, traces of other forms of life, or unexpected relationships between elements within the environment.
The photographs gathered here emerged from such encounters. They were not necessarily made with the intention of creating a photographic project. Rather, photography became a way of responding to moments that became significant through prolonged presence and observation.
For me, these experiences raise a broader question about how the way we are present within an environment can influence what becomes perceptible and what becomes possible to create. They have led me to become interested in presence, attention, patience and attunement as forms of practice, and in how these conditions might influence our relationship with materials and other forms of matter.
The encounters presented here come from different times and places. I do not see them as a linear body of work, but as fragments of an ongoing process of learning how to observe, remain present and respond to what emerges through an encounter with an environment.
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Saravan Wetland — Iran, June 2019
I visited Saravan Wetland for a short walk in nature, with no intention of taking photographs. Instead, I decided to stay in one place, remain quiet and still, and observe what was happening around me.
After almost two hours, the frogs had become accustomed to my presence and remained only a few centimetres away. I began photographing them with my phone, without a telephoto lens.
What I recorded that day was not planned photography, but something that emerged through time, stillness and becoming present within the environment.
Tang-e Dar — Iran, September 2019
I spent several hours sitting quietly beside the river, simply observing the environment. At one point, a praying mantis appeared on the rocks in front of me. For a brief moment, it felt as if we had both noticed each other. I found this unexpected encounter particularly striking.
