Hamed Noori

Impermanent Mountains

| 2020-22

I have been moved by the art of landscape photography that was led by pioneers of American landscape photography who had a vast and varied landscape to play with. I believe that the new American conceptions of the landscape have a contradiction/conflict with American history that invests their national identity in natural places.
The photographs capture the neglected and degraded man-made mountains from construction sites, which serve as a metaphor for the destruction of natural landscapes and the consequences of human actions. These impermanent mountains are not only changing the perception of the entire environment but also become a temporary home for creatures that are not able to persevere with and are quickly disappearing.
Through this series, I aim to highlight the conflicts between human-made landscapes and the environment and visualize the impact of our disregard for the natural world. The comparison to the iconic photographs of mountains taken by historic American photographers such as Ansel Adams, Carleton Watkins, and William Henry Jackson highlights the dramatic change in our relationship with the environment over time.