Return To

A project by Selina, Jane, Boaz & Tamana

Our photographic series explores utopia and dystopia, not as distant or abstract ideas, but through the lens of modern urban exhaustion, escapism, and the dissonance between reality and dreams. We have created two contrasting environments: a chaotic cityscape and a tranquil garden. The train station symbolizes the relentless pace of city life—crowded, uncomfortable, and stressful, evoking the feeling of rushing home during peak hour. In contrast, the garden represents a world untouched by human intervention, where life moves slowly, deliberately, and without obligation. It captures the serenity of moments like listening to wildlife before sleep while camping or driving through the countryside.

Accompanying our visuals is a looping audio piece that reflects the interplay between chaos and stillness. Using everyday recordings, we have layered sounds of trams, hurried footsteps, chatter, and coughing with crickets, bell chimes, and rustling leaves. These elements blend and blur as the environments shift, raising the question: is nature seeping into reality, or is it fading away? The cyclical nature of the soundscape mirrors the rhythm of escapism—the way we seek refuge in nature, only to be drawn back into the city's relentless cycle when the weekend ends.

Images were displayed across from each other, on opposite walls. The viewing of the photo series in this sense also blur and blend. When you view each set of images you can hear the audio that goes with each and connect them.