Colleen Plumb is a photographer fascinated by the idea of “fake nature”. She is interested in the ever growing disconnection between humans and nature, and how animals can link us to a world far from the reality of contemporary life. Her photographs in this series expose the unacknowledged impact humans have on wild animals.
Our relationship with animals is contradictory. On one hand, we love, admire, and are entertained by them, but on the other hand, we eat, cage, wear, and destroy their homes. Most humans only choose to see the positive side of our interaction with wildlife, and ignore the death and decay brought on by them. In an attempt to bring humans closer to nature, through aquariums, zoos, and other means of confining animals into cramped, unnatural spaces, we are ultimately destroying their natural world and ruining their quality of life. Plumb captures the overlooked examples of how civilization has become accustomed to a world full of false nature.
Colleen Plumb, Stingray
2008
Colleen Plumb, Lobster
2006
Colleen Plumb, Squirrel
2005