Takaka Photograph

We have come to define ourselves by divisions; by gender, class and colour; by religion, sexual orientation, nationality, ideology, physical and mental ability. Our existence is shaped by them, all struggling to coexist; to be heard. We struggle to find the common ground between belief systems and plug the vast chasms in our current paradigm; from economic woes to poverty and greed, from crime, wars and power struggles to the environment; whilst probing the universe for evidence that we are not alone. We are blinded by the complexity of our prejudices, stereotypes, boundaries, walls, boxes, pigeon holes and labels; by the manifestation of historical contexts. The reality is we are not alone, we inhabit this planet together in a constantly moving moment; we all share a journey called life. We all eat, drink, dream, and make love; and there is enough food, water, energy and shelter on the planet for everyone, if managed properly and distributed fairly. Genetically we are 99.9% the same; and those of us outside subsaharan Africa are the descendants of one woman who traveled from Africa one hundred and sixty thousand years ago. We are all a collection of atoms vibrating with energy and interacting with all the other particles that make up the universe, like notes in a universal symphony. My work comes from something we all know at birth, a profound sense of wholeness; a deep, inextricable connection with the world around us. What emerges is, like life; vulnerable, intimate and universal, exploiting the inherent ambiguity of photography to explore the boundary between misrepresentation and hope.