Marcus
Newton

Constructed Paradise

Constructed Paradise confronts the delicate balance between human civilization and the seemingly virgin landscape. It is an investigation of both the connection and divide between humankind and nature. Mannequins are used as human surrogates, predominantly appearing alone within government-protected parks and refuges. The provocative and confrontational nature of mannequins can elicit the uncanny. While representing an encouraged body type, they reflect our dependence on control and desire for aesthetic beauty. This sense of control and dependence on aesthetic beauty is applicable within romantic landscape images found in postcards, wilderness calendars, as well as other romantic representations of nature. The encroachment of the human figure is intended to provoke viewers to question their own imprint on the land and to examine photography's role in both constructing and dismantling a mythic vision of landscape as Paradise.