Araville Wizlei Viernes
'Conscious Mystery'
I fell in love with the structure of tall buildings and the city itself. I believe that streets and tall buildings represent our dreams and path. It makes me look up ahead, out and beyond, to the sky where we realize our dreams. Dreams are always far out there and seem out of your reach. Using collage, the black and white image represents the real world we live within. The coloured images represent the dreams we are obsessed with and the red spots lead us to these dreams. They also further obscure our reality. When we get obsessed with the idea of a dream, we can’t see ourselves in the real world. Do we create these obsessions so we don’t have to face brutal truths? Is this what drives us to achieve our dreams? This work was inspired by photographer Odette England. Her artwork felt mysterious to me and I wanted to achieve that feeling in my artwork to share the mysterious reasons we become obsessed with dreams.
Arisha Rinaaz Rahman
Artificial Dreams
Parks remind me of Teletubbies, recalling being a kid enjoying the colourful, calm and vibrant nature with a variety of flowers, and
this made me determine what elements I wanted my photo to include. One of my major inspirations for my photo was Becky Comber. When editing my photo, I decided to make it look artificial, since she includes a lot of collage, which is artificial to the real image.
Brianna Nantel Santacruz
The Wise One
My Name is Brianna Nantel Santacruz and my Piece “The Wise One” is about how animals have taken care of the planet for so long that we as humans have come to destroy it in such little time. In my process of creating this photograph, I had to switch gears completely if I wanted to keep my idea of how animals are wise to the planet as they are the creatures that give balance to life. I created a drawing on a piece of paper, using only pencil crayons to give the drawing itself a pop of color, and a bit of style that captivates wonder for the viewer looking at the photo. I chose the horse to represent the animals of the planet as to me, it is the biggest creature I have the most memories with before my grandpa passed away. I feel this piece that combines traditional drawing and photography not only represents how lousy we can be in caring for the shared space we have with animals bigger than us, even smaller too. It also represents me, and my admiration for such gentle giant creatures, who sadly only know fear. We are the future, and I believe we can do better to at least save certain species from being dangerously endangered.
Ciparin Mekonnen
Taste Of Home
Many people have immigrated from different countries to Canada and tiny things make you feel like you are back at home for me this was coffee roasting. In Ethiopia where I am from, coffee is a significant part of the tradition. I have added my mother into the photo to it because family is my number one principle and making a photo that includes my family and my roots has a deep connection for me. Emphasizing the importance of family and tradition, I used coffee roasting as a way to remind myself of home and capture it in a photo, which included my mother's fingers to symbolize the close bond I share with my family. The smell of coffee is way to transfer me back the land of Ethiopia.
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Coshiela Bote
'CYPHER
As a young creative, I not only express myself in the medium of photography, but also in dance. I enjoy dancing competitively, and just for my own enjoyment. One thing I love about the world of dance is the use of land and community brought together. Playing around with miniature photography, I created a scene of miniature blob figures dancing in a cypher. They’re surrounded by their violet territory and the broccoli forest. They are simply just in their own world moving as one, and held by the land as one. During a freestyle class, we were focusing on playing around with hierarchy and levels in our dance. From having your feet off the ground, to having your belly laying on the floor. One thing I took away from that teacher was, “do not worry about falling, the ground is here to catch you. It will hold you.” Literally, she means to keep experimenting, and if you fail, you get back up again. Which is significant in technique, but it also means to me that a space can also hold such a community. Whether it's dance practice in my school’s auditorium, dance break in a hall at a party, taking a class at a studio, or simply grooving to music with my friends at the bus stop, the land holds a space for such movement.
Daria Dueck
Battle of Nature
I decided to take photos in nature despite the weather or time of day to catch the little moments of hidden beauty. I went out into the forest and photographed as many things as I could. Once I looked through them, I found little joys in my pictures. I caught some real beauties!
I have always found the Earth a gorgeous place filled with many spectacles. This planet is truly a miracle that we should appreciate every day. Trillions of planets and stars uninhabitable yet here we are. As humans we have done so much harm to this land and I believe that we have a duty to care for it as it does for us.
What I encourage with my work is for people to take a moment to admire the Earth and acknowledge its importance. Take a breath, be kinder, be empathetic. The Earth provides so much for the people that live on it that the least we could do is not destroy it. Because eventually we will all become one with “This Land”.
Elliot 'Alohilani Wang
Battle of Nature
I decided to take photos in nature despite the weather or time of day to catch the little moments of hidden beauty. I went out into the forest and photographed as many things as I could. Once I looked through them, I found little joys in my pictures. I caught some real beauties!
I have always found the Earth a gorgeous place filled with many spectacles. This planet is truly a miracle that we should appreciate every day. Trillions of planets and stars uninhabitable yet here we are. As humans we have done so much harm to this land and I believe that we have a duty to care for it as it does for us.
What I encourage with my work is for people to take a moment to admire the Earth and acknowledge its importance. Take a breath, be kinder, be empathetic. The Earth provides so much for the people that live on it that the least we could do is not destroy it. Because eventually we will all become one with “This Land”.
Francisco Tomas Lorenzo
Crucifixion
With my work, I wanted to make it abstract and also something from this genre of videos I like which is called analog horror. I have always been interested in that type of stuff. For example with trees, they can take any form. One fascinating thing about the forms they can take is they can come across as a bit humanoid. I find it so unique that nature has the ability to just do that whenever it wants. Nature in itself is so fascinating and that's what drives me to take images of it. What I would want people to take away from my work is to just take a chance to look at the surroundings and how beautifully unique each part of this land is.
The way my image looks, in the way of a crucifixion. Some may not see but as the artist, that’s what it is. To me, it gives off an eerie vibe with how the branch is structured and that’s what I hope people can take from it.
James Stott
Nature is not just a place to escape to - it's a vital component of our health and well being. Studies show that spending time in nature can improve our mental and physical health, reduce stress, and promote feelings of happiness and relaxation. But it's not just about the benefits - connecting with nature can also help us develop a greater appreciation for the world around us and our place within it. Personally, I've always found peace and tranquility in nature, whether it's skiing, hiking, climbing, and biking through the mountains or simply sitting outside in my backyard. It's helped me understand the importance of my relationship with the environment and inspired me to share this passion with others through my camera.
Jom Nora
Gaia
Stillness and solitude are the origins behind the birth of my island. An imaginative world where the grass is as fuzzy as a sheep, rivers shine as broken glass, cotton ball clouds float through the sky and stars twinkle like Christmas lights, shining both in the dark and light. Both fantastical and real-world experiences were the inspiration to create and generate a snapshot of this island. A land which is forever divided into territory by those beings who made the right and wrong decisions on the journey, while learning lessons of nurturing their home. By ‘those beings’ representing ourselves, we are reminded to take care of our own homes. I made the decision to create this land myself to show people that a young person, such as myself, is aware of our environment. I'm sharing my own perspective on our current situation as a society in order to ask others to reflect and make decisions in the right direction.
Kate Cruz
déjà vu
My artwork appreciates the dazzling beauty of the sea. I have many good memories of the sea that comfort me. Me and my family went to different beaches, rivers, and falls in the Philippines when I was a kid. When I was capturing this view, I was imagining myself and my family having fun in the Philippines. This place is important to me as it calms me and comforts me whenever I’m happy and sad. The sea is my go-to place when I'm devastated and stressed at home or at school.
Mikylla Ngo
Under The Cherry Blossom
My artwork explores how nature can be so beautiful, how the fields of grass can be so green; the mist of wind that gives me chills, Cherry blossoms brighten the view, couples having their moment and making memories. Life is short, some things are temporary. Sometimes you just take the opportunity.
Mahum Hingora
desire
I am five years younger than my siblings and because of that, I was often alone growing up. I remember always going to my neighbour’s garden, playing surrounded by the greenery, and it was just so beautiful. These memories were the inspiration for my photograph. Today places like Queen Elizabeth Park and VanDusen Botanical Gardens bring the same feelings of peace and tranquility that I remember while playing in my neighbour’s garden years ago as a child. When I think of this land, I think of an idealistic world that is beautiful, inspiring and brings peace.
Mattias Hammermeister
Spanish Banks Vancouver BC 2023
We live our lives being surrounded by living things in the world. Trees, dogs, cats, raccoons, flowers and so much more, roaming along with them constantly, without ever stopping to think. Capturing this land’s natural beauty within the city is a tricky thing to do, let alone finding a spot where nature shines through the city lights. I think taking a moment to stop and reflect is a wonderful thing to do from time to time in order to truly see the living world around us. I love capturing natural beauty in crowded cities and public areas, showing the things we take for granted. The best we can do is enjoy creation while we still have it, live in the moment, and make long lasting memories.
Mya Garrido Diaz
Stories on walls
As women we experience situations of harassment and violence on a daily basis. This photo captures how ordinary places can be witnesses of trauma and harassment. I chose the bus because it is a tool of transportation for many women across this land, but now riding on the bus has also become a place of unease for many of them, and unfortunately not everyone has access to resources to stop taking the bus. So even though they have a lump in their throats, they have no choice but to continue to take the bus everyday as if their stories of harassment and violence, words of warning they share and the actions they take in order to try to stay safe mean nothing. Even though you might not know them; you can see it in their eyes. This is the story of most girls, including me.
Rachael Forrester
Simpler Times
The city I've known my entire life isn’t the same as it was 10 or 12 years ago. Back then, times were simpler and the only thing I could think to do in a car was watch the surroundings go by. Now as I, myself, drive down the street, more aware and more alert, I have begun to realize a common theme. The world is changing. Roads and buildings are not as familiar as they once were.
In my piece I aim to project the reality that all of the familiar sights and landscapes that I have known my entire life, now look quite different from before. Small businesses such as the one I captured in my photo were once everywhere. I used to go to the area pictured all the time. Now these kinds of areas are harder to find while apartment buildings and skyscrapers are going up left and right. The roads I used to take are now unrecognizable and I am beginning to forget what I once knew as home.
Sehaj Warraich
The SMALL details count
Would you want your kids to live in a place where they can't walk without a mask, or not be able to see the beauty of nature? Well, that will happen if YOU don’t watch where you put your waste and how much waste you collect. I believe that the environment that we live in, especially our school, is key to survival and life in general. The humongous trees, majestic plants, and the big blue oceans are what thrive all around us and it is what keeps us going. An example is the image above which is my school. This relates to the topic as our young generation is our future and caretaker for our planet that we live on. If they don't learn from the start at a place that is filled with knowledge, how can we expect them to spread awareness and start right now if they aren't getting fed knowledge that is key to survival. School is also a place where you learn many new things, so why is it that there is garbage seemingly everywhere. As we move on in life, we need to watch how much garbage we waste and throw out, even thinking and doing in small amounts will make a huge difference. If not, we can be in a lot of trouble.
Sharath Rajesh Karthi
Old memories
There was a tree (it still stands) where me and my friends hung out. We had many memories there and many meaningful conversations where we decided many things for our future.
The tree is very old with many branches that are very strong where you can sit and play on it. It is also a huge tree which stands at the back of the running track so we can watch people running and having fun at the park.
Sol Melisa Tarra Suaza
Through my artwork, I explored the depths of nature. A sign of tomorrow begins as the daylight fades, the breeze of fresh air and the sound of the waves coming onto the shore are just a few examples of the hidden beauties this land offers us. In a state of euphoria during the golden hour, the light in this photo symbolizes and serves as a reminder that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep enjoying your childhood life while you still can.
Sophia Lezada
euphoria
Through my artwork, I explored the depths of nature. A sign of tomorrow begins as the daylight fades, the breeze of fresh air and the sound of the waves coming onto the shore are just a few examples of the hidden beauties this land offers us. In a state of euphoria during the golden hour, the light in this photo symbolizes and serves as a reminder that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Just keep enjoying your childhood life while you still can.
Zachary Neufeld
Photographs display memories
There are so many different meanings to the theme “This Land", but the one that captured my attention was memory. Memories are a core to life. Everyone has made tons of them and most of our memories will not be forgotten. Memories are connected to this land because we grow up and live our entire lives on it. My photograph captures countless memories with deep meaning to me. My family and I have gone to many sports games at BC Place and the colorful lights of the stadium are an early childhood memory of a big, bright and lively city. I remember the time we were going to be late for a game and took the Sea Bus across the water. The stadium glowing, the city lights twinkling and boats rocking softly back and forth on the water, inviting my family and I into the beautiful city. Photographs can portray many different memories for people and while this photograph may not hold significance to you, it means so much to me. That is the nature of memories created on this land.