The series “Requiem for Filamentous algae” consists in photographed impressions of the aquatic garden in my home yard. The series presents the Filamentous algae in situ. The Filamentous are algae are considered to be harmful weeds, and are one of the common problems facing owners of water plants pools. The algae absorb the nutrients in the water and catch the sun rays, thus reducing other water plants’ chances to develop. They are fast growers, and can quickly cover the whole pool. For the sake of keeping a healthy and beautiful pool, these algae are fated to doom.
During the last two years I’ve been watching the pool through my camera. Prolonged, meditative observation reveals the constant by the changing. Every split second a new composition is randomly and naturally formed. I choose the ecological gaze that examines the individual in its environment. Green clouds of algae combine with the pool’s water plants, and alternate as objects or as background in the photos.
The dance of the algae and the water plants appears as if free of intentional human intervention, but in fact, in is vicariously controlled. The definition of one plant as a “garden plant” and the other as a “weed” is culture-related, and it dictates our attitude toward these plants, and in many cases, their fate as well. These algae are what gives the pool its “natural” and wild appearance. For me, the pool is an arena, a laboratory, where I want to inquire what is natural? And what is artificial?
