Abstract
Nonhuman Persons: A Photographic Love for Aotearoa’s Natural Environment focuses on how photography and an intimate perception of spirituality can establish connections with the indigenous flora of Aotearoa. Through a photographic image’s ability to produce a sense of heightened self-awareness, this project explores how photography can be utilised to invoke a love and connection with the natural environment. This research takes the position that plants have a life force and questions how emotional and spiritual connections can be formed through photographs. This project asks how photographs can be used to establish a deeper reflective connection between humans and plants, thereby promoting a more caring and responsible relationship towards Aotearoa’s endangered whenua, especially when considering the looming extinction of kauri.
