Order Imposed

Order Imposed arises from my countless journeys between civilization and wilderness. At that boundary, the balance is tenuous and the outcome uncertain. This series considers whether human imposed order will prevail or if nature will erase the temporary evidence of our presence. The word “order” has special meanings in mathematics and physics and law, but here it refers simply to the innocent human notion that we might change our surroundings to improve our lives.

We need shelter, food, water, warmth and protection from predatory threat. We alter nature to satisfy these needs. We plant gardens, build houses and cities, erect barriers. Our alterations create conflict with nature. Nature’s response is inevitable, inexorable, and unpredictable. The images in Order Imposed depict our perpetual re-equilibration with the natural world. Awareness for the equilibration process helps satisfy our most basic need: coexistence with nature.