Suspended Histories is a poignant exploration of the complex relationship between culture and destiny, as well as our evolving relationship with the natural world. The series posits that the commercialization and commodification of landscapes have transformed them from essential components of our history and culture into consumable experiences, packaged and sold for profit.
The commodification of nature reflects a broader trend of increasing alienation from the natural world, as humans become ever more isolated from the environment that sustains us. The tension between beauty, preservation, development, exploitation, and regulation are not essential conditions of the landscape, but rather historical forces that shape our understanding of it.
In this context, Suspended Histories reflects on the cultural impact of Disney, which represents a culture that is the opposite of destiny. The packaging of landscapes as consumable experiences reinforces the idea that we are separate from the natural world, rather than a part of it. This self-containerization of nature has contributed to our increasing alienation from it.
Suspended Histories unpacks the historical aspects of landscape, including beauty, preservation, development, exploitation, and regulation. Rather than being essential conditions, these are matters in flux, constantly in a state of transformation. The symbolic capital of heritage sites has become estranged from their singularity, homogenized, and diluted in their commodification.
