Faculty of Art

Photography

Haosu Pei

Meet with Nobody on the Dune

The series "Meet with Nobody on the Dune" is a nature documentary series conducted on Ward's Island Hanlan's Point on Toronto Island. This series explores the significance of water and nature my cultural background and Indigenous culture and the relationship between humans and nature.

“In Chinese culture, the concept of water has been a timeless and very important part of various academics and schools of thought including Confucianism, Taoism, etc. It is seen as a representation of the transformational and dialectical relationship between force and convergency, the showcase of the flow of time and many other concepts throughout Chinese history. For example, Confucius once said “逝者如斯夫！ 不舍昼夜。”/ “Time flows like water, it flows regardless of day and night” when he stands by a grand river according to the ancient Chinese records, the Analects. Yet among many Indigenous cultures, water is seen as a gift from mother earth that flows between all, therefore, represents connections between life and the souls of individuals in their communities.Partially why I choose to focus on the concept of water in this assignment is that I find it interesting how a concept can be relevant in different yet similar ways in different cultures and how I can represent that through the narrative of photography. On the other hand, water is a part of the landscape itself but it is also a force that shapes landscapes on the islands, I find that status of existence interesting.Also, the Toronto islands itself is a water-centred ecosystem and environment, and documenting the environment to me is of great significance as well.My method is basically I’d do some research regarding the topic beforehand, then I would normally shoot things on-site based on those research and see how can I transform those with my visual narrative and technique. Then after shooting on-site I review my thoughts, discoveries and other things and review how are those things integrated into my photos.This series focuses on our bond with the water and natural environment of Toronto Island through the documentary of landscapes, as I met with nobody on the dune, I am actually meeting with my ancestors, the spirits of the indigenous people of Toronto which is the original guardians and owners of the land, as well as my own reflections within them.”