AÇORES
The clash between native and introduced species can be seen in the forests. Local v/s foreign fight for space, light and resources just like outside the jungle.
In a globalised world, it seems strange to find ourselves and identify with the idea of an island. However, being surrounded by sea, and being thousands of kilometres from land in every direction, undoubtedly affects many aspects of island life and its character. Even though the islands are part of Portugal and are connected by internet and airplane flights, the wild nature of the island makes its isolation evident. This is why it was decided to carry out a botanical investigation of the species present on the island, in order to get a glimpse into the character and history of this place.
Initially, the research was carried out in search of those endemic species that are frequently found on islands. However, given the history of the Azores, a strategic point for ships between America and Europe, a large number of species from both continents were discovered in its flora.
Therefore, the study of its flora highlights its history and its geographical position. It is impossible to make a botanical study without taking into consideration the relationship with the sea, the ships, the distance and its history
Species that grow on both continents, in the middle of the ocean, sprout and grow in a different and exorbitant way. The island and its climate nurture them and give them a magical character.
This is why the aim is to show all the flora foreign to the island based on its double condition: beauty and otherness. For this, the technique of double exposure is chosen, since through this technique we seek to show the duality: the lights and the shadows, the diffuse and lightly defined form, the contrast between different species, etc.
This is the search for a visual language that shows botanical uprising, characterized by the history of the island: of conquest and invasion, and its location in the middle of the Atlantic.