work
The land belongs to no one
| category | Photography |
| subject | Political / Social, Landscape, Architecture |
| tags | digital, photography, sense of self, to belong, safe, human living, self, landscape, home, property , land, writings, words, ruins, buildings, city |
| base | 200 cm |
| height | 150 cm |
| depth | 0 cm |
| year | 2023 |
Digital edited photography - later printed on PVC bannersThe present work stems from a broader series of photographic documentation that I created during a residency in the city of London between January and March 2023. The two pieces, which must necessarily coexist and complement each other, reproduce two photographs taken in the city of Brighton, subsequently digitally manipulated and printed on 200cmx150cm PVC banners each. The two images depict glimpses of urban subjects, torsos against the clear sky.
The digital manipulation involves adding the phrases "The land belongs to no one" (historically known as No man’s land) for one print, and "A strong home base builds a sense of self" for the other. No man’s land represents a geographic area free from human occupation. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a waste dump between fiefs. In modern times, it is commonly associated with World War I to describe the land between two enemy trench systems, not controlled by either side.
The term is also used metaphorically to refer to an ambiguous, anomalous, or undefined area in relation to a political or jurisdictional situation. These two phrases were chosen to contradict each other, highlighting the illogical nature of considering a territory null if not belonging to any jurisdiction or human being, and on the other hand, the profound human need to recognize oneself in one's own places, defining one's identity based on them ("A strong home base builds a sense of self," literally, a strong connection to a place constitutes a strong sense of self).Never before, during our current historical era, has this work revealed itself to be so important and fundamental to me. Never as today, in our current historical era, this work revealed itself to be very important and fundamental to me.
The digital manipulation involves adding the phrases "The land belongs to no one" (historically known as No man’s land) for one print, and "A strong home base builds a sense of self" for the other. No man’s land represents a geographic area free from human occupation. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a waste dump between fiefs. In modern times, it is commonly associated with World War I to describe the land between two enemy trench systems, not controlled by either side.
The term is also used metaphorically to refer to an ambiguous, anomalous, or undefined area in relation to a political or jurisdictional situation. These two phrases were chosen to contradict each other, highlighting the illogical nature of considering a territory null if not belonging to any jurisdiction or human being, and on the other hand, the profound human need to recognize oneself in one's own places, defining one's identity based on them ("A strong home base builds a sense of self," literally, a strong connection to a place constitutes a strong sense of self).Never before, during our current historical era, has this work revealed itself to be so important and fundamental to me. Never as today, in our current historical era, this work revealed itself to be very important and fundamental to me.
