About

Before moving to Ann Arbor, my knowledge of the Huron River was very slim. It wasn’t until I was sitting in a class focused on water usage in North America that I got my first real introduction to it. We were looking at the map of the river, and I was shocked to see a 90 degree turn in its path. After investigating further, I learned that this was the result of the city of Ann Arbor redirecting the natural path of the water to better fit their city-planning purposes. This level of distortion of the natural world did not sit right with me and is something that has deeply stuck with me since first being exposed to it. When it came time to design my project, I know that I wanted to focus on something that I was passionate about, human control over nature

 

I had a lot of fun getting to explore a more philosophical side of myself when attempting this project, and getting to use this experiment as a form of catharsis. It allowed me to put into (hopefully) coherent thoughts the way that I had been feeling about this topic and the immense respect and conflict I feel when thinking about the Huron River. There is truly nothing like standing in the middle of the river in my rain boots trying to manage the perfect shot on a camera I have no knowledge of how to work effectively in the week before finals, and getting to let the river inspire my art. I really enjoyed getting to make this project and I hope you enjoy reading it!

 

For my first experiment, I chose to attempt a transcendental style essay much in the style of Thoreau and Emerson recounting a journey down the Huron River through Ann Arbor from my point of view. I wanted to put my own spin on this writing style and incorporate more of the interaction of the human and natural world as the focus. For my second experiment I decided to attempt the topic from a broader point of view and started working on a satirical obituary for Mother Earth. This experiment felt a little too broad, and thus for my third project I turned back to the Huron River with a photo essay, as I attempted to use visuals to give my reader a more direct way to connect to this topic that is so important to me. My final project is a mix of my first and third experiments: a transcendental essay with accompanying photos.