third nature
Carretera de Vallvidrera al Tibidabo, by Dalton Rooney
Astute readers may have noticed that I recently changed the name of this weblog. The process of updating this site over the last couple of years has played a big part in how my thinking about photography has developed during that time. Every time I sit down to write a post, put up some new work, or link to an article or photographer I find interesting, I try to stop and think a little bit about why this is important; why it’s worth my time, and hopefully yours, too. My hope with this site has always been to bring clarity to my own thoughts—and I think I have been successful in that regard—but I also think that it’s time for a slightly sharper focus, to push myself a little harder and be more critical about what I write. And so, with that, I thought I would finally give the blog a name.
The term “third nature” is an extension of the thoughts of Cicero, who wrote:
“We sow corn, we plant trees, we fertilize the soil by irrigation, we dam the rivers and direct them where we want. In short, by means of our hands we try to create as it were a second nature within the natural world.”
It’s interesting to me that Cicero lived more than 2000 years ago, and yet even in his time we were making massive changes to the world around us.
A new way of thinking about the landscape began to develop during the Italian Renaissance which necessitated a classification beyond Cicero’s first and second natures. This terza natura referred to natural environments designed for our aesthetic pleasure. At the time, this meant formal gardens owned by the elite. In our time, I believe that urban and natural parks serve a similar purpose.
In his essay to accompany Jem Southam’s Landscape Stories, Andy Grundberg argues that landscape pictures themselves are part of this same third nature, taming the wild for us and offering a similar sense of fulfillment. One could extrapolate this definition even further, to books, movies, and video games, for example, which can serve a related function.
We live in a world where first nature has practically ceased to exist. Nothing is left undiscovered or unspoiled, and the facsimile that is third nature is all we have left. With this weblog, I aim to satisfy my own curiosity as I do with my photography: my interest is not just in art, but the very nature of our relationship with the landscape itself. What makes a picture? What kind of connection are we seeking when we create and take pleasure in this kind of work? How can one work within a centuries-old tradition and create something new and relevant?
I hope to answer some of these questions to my satisfaction, and to make some good photographs along the way. I’m also hoping to get other people thinking and talking about these ideas, because it’s only when a monologue becomes a dialogue that I feel like I’ve learned anything. And perhaps most of all, I’m looking for great art to inspire me, so if you know of anything that you think I’d like, please send it along.
September 17, 2009