Over the last two years or so, I have collected a series of photos in what I like to call “Nature’s Reclamation.” There’s something about visiting these places and seeing how these objects that came before me have slowly been claimed by the nature that surrounds them. The meshing of these biological properties with these man-made structures gives me an eerie feeling, one that reminds me of my own time and mortality. I think about how long these objects have been here—the purpose they once served. I wonder if their placements were a happy accident. It’s this process of thinking that I constantly come back to when I stumble upon sights like these. The same process of thinking that I apply to myself.
As I get older and see more, I begin to learn that time is valuable and not meant to be wasted. A purpose is only as meaningful as what you make of it. Most importantly, life is really about happy accidents and trying to make the best of them. I know that one day, I too will lay into the earth like these objects, and plants will take root in my body. It’s definitely a strange image to think about, but it brings me a bit of comfort—knowing that someday, I will help sprout new, beautiful sights and places for people to see long after I am gone, just as these objects have done for me.
This process of thinking rushes through my head as I capture “Nature’s Reclamation.”
By Tiernan Inich
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