Isabelle Teo 2B/06

This image above is that of a wire sculpture. It shows a man pouring a barrel of water into a container held by a little boy. Surrounding this figure is man’s re-enactment of nature. Cactus plants can be seen around the sculpture, and they are obviously man-made and planted there for a reason, which is to beautify the surroundings. Also, behind the sculpture, trees and ferns can be seen growing. There is a high possibility that man planted these trees and ferns there and that they were not there originally. This picture is pleasant looking as the colours like grey, green, and brown are in harmony. There is a strong influence of the urban landscape and the attempts of man to incorporate nature into the metropolitan society. This shows that man still does appreciate the beauty and grandeur of nature. However, he has no qualms in destroying natural nature. This is because the general attitude is that nature can be duplicated and created once more, so it does not matter if the original natural nature were to be destroyed. The urban society and advanced technology has influenced man, his thinking and his way of life. Man no longer worships nature like before, but instead seemingly plays God over nature by controlling it.

The image above shows a concrete pavement, a lamppost, a rubbish bin, and some lights on the ground, all of which are man-made and artificial. It also shows some grass and a forest, which are natural. The image seems to suggest man’s dominance and power over nature, controlling nature and shaping it in the manner pleasing to man. Man is trying to incorporate nature into the urban landscape. The botanical gardens is supposed to be a place of nature, for people to appreciate the beauty of nature and not artificial things which dominate the above picture. However, man has integrated nature and the urban landscape so well that the colour composition of nature is in accordance to the artificial things, thus the image is pleasant and not an eyesore. From the picture, the trees in the forests are bending and growing towards the concrete pavement. This shows that nature is alive and that it should not be taken for granted because of the fact that man can easily duplicate nature. Also, it suggests the power and supremacy of nature over man. Man may be able to control small things of nature like the overgrowing of plants as in the image, however, he is not able to control the great acts of nature like natural disasters.

In the above picture, there is an arrangement of some beautiful flowers. In the background is a forest and in the foreground is a whole patch of grass. Surrounding the flowers is a brown tiled pavement. This picture shows the exquisiteness and sheer beauty and greatness of nature. The admiration of nature is never ending as one does not get tired of being in awe of nature. This is because nature is so amazing and full of secrets and the unknown, making it a wonder to mankind. If one were at the scene where the above image was taken, he would have definitely taken some time to admire and appreciate it. This shows that man needs nature. Without nature, this world would be dead and unfeeling. While man tries to control nature by shaping the flowers in the way they like or building a pathway around the flowers, it is also important to note that nature is powerful and overwhelming. Nature will attempt to fight against man’s destructive actions as all actions will have their consequences. This image emphasizes on the beauty of nature that man cannot seem to go without. Thus, although man has advanced into the urban society of today, nature still plays an important role of beautifying the surroundings.

Isabelle Teo
2B/06