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Infrastructures From Above: 17 Photographs From The Series “The Systems That Shape Us” By Aya Okawa
Interview With Artist
Part of the exclusive online showroom developed by All About Photo, this exhibition is on view for the month of February 2022 and includes seventeen photographs from the series "The Systems That Shape Us".
We may tune out - or stop noticing - the infrastructure and systems that most deeply shape our lives as individuals and societies. As we go about our daily routines, do we consider the structures in place that put power in our electrical sockets, food in our grocery stores, plastic in our consumables, or salts in our batteries?
More info: all-about-photo.com | Instagram
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Large Scale Flower Farm, 2017
It used to be trees, replaced by a cash crop that's unneeded. I think I'm getting the hang of it.
"As a photographer & visual anthropologist, when I started flying in small planes I was struck by how tiny our all-important lives actually looked from above, when moments ago the concerns of the terrestrial life had seemed so all-encompassing. Flying above my own town, I was duly shocked by how little I actually knew about the area that I had lived in for years - I drove around and explored on foot (or so I thought) - only to realize that all it took to keep a site out of view was something as insignificant as a 6-foot tall fence, a gate, or even nothing at all, in many cases.
From above, I could see massive caverns gauged into the earth by bulldozers, vast stretches of electrical lines and transformer stations, landfills sprawling across hilltops, and industrial plants belching into water sources. Much of this I had never noticed or given much thought to."
Reclaimed Housing, 2017
"I became fascinated by capturing and studying images of the infrastructure around my community, and those of communities globally - visually investigating the infrastructure that we may not heed in our everyday lives, and exploring the human-made systems that define the foundations of our societies, cultures, and economies.
In this exploration, I was mesmerized by the beauty in the patterns that emerged - in both the human-made & natural ecosystems - and my goal is to share this sense of awe and curiosity with others through this series. These photos were made in cities throughout the United States, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, & Belgium."
Power, Centered, 2021
Aquaculture, 2017
My main expertise is aquaculture, too bad my country is soooo far behind on sustainability.
Freeway Tentacles, 2017
Commodities In Transit, 2017
Transport, 2018
Housing Development, 2017
Commute, 2021
Trucks, 2016
Agricultural Irrigation, 2021
Refinery Networks, 2017
Building Materials, 2016
Industrial Agriculture, 2019
Toxic Drain, 2018
