Nature Engulfing the City
A Photograph by Catherine Li
Between the rise of the hill and the slant of branches, a tendering of skyscrapers appears. Beyond this view of moneyed city life is a quayside, a shoreline, and then the grey sea. Close to the edge of the hill is a dome-like building, almost seeming castaway due to its slight presence. These elements coexist in a single plane, as though taking them all in a glance is an accurate measure of scope.
— Emmanuel Iduma
“I enjoy using photography to try to capture the intangible.”
This photograph was taken from the Letard Mountain, accessible through a moderate hike, just above the city of Port Louis with a view of its harbour on one side and a breathtaking view on the Moka Mountain Range on the other.
I like the juxtaposition of Nature vs The City in this photograph, the calmness of nature vs the human activity of the city. The sharp contrast between the organic shapes of nature and rectangular shapes of concrete brings out the struggle that our world is facing due to rapid urbanism and lack of vision for a sustainable development. The choice of black and white accentuates this juxtaposition without any distractions with colours.
I like to think that we can reverse this tendency and that we let Nature take over our cities as in this photograph where it seems to be engulfing the city. Our planet and our own survival can only benefit from bringing more nature into our cities and preserving it at all costs.
I believe in the power of photography in communicating a strong message without shocking or attacking the viewer. The viewer needs to be nurtured and be brought to dream of a better place than her/his reality.
I use photography mostly to show my vision of a better world where Mother Nature takes Her rightful place amongst us with her perfection and beauty. Somewhere along our industrial revolution humankind lost sight of what is keeping us alive in pursuit of endless greed in material gain. With climate change now being a reality we need to go back to the source. If we know how to listen to Her, I think Mother Nature can take the role of our doctor, therapist or spiritual healer and there is no better way to illustrate this than through photography.
I also enjoy using photography to try to capture the intangible, an atmosphere or what the eyes cannot see but the camera will be able to capture through long exposures and intentional camera movements. It allows me to extract the essence of a place and moment like no other medium. The camera becomes the brush that the painter uses for his painting...
About Catherine Li
Born and raised in Mauritius, Catherine Li spent over two decades in Canada, where she pursued a career as a fashion designer and discovered her passion for photography. She has participated in several collective exhibitions in Mauritius, including "Homegrown" at Imaaya Gallery, the Mauritius International Art Fair (2019,2023), and the Mauritius Arts Expo (2023). Catherine Li showcased her work for the World Ocean Day at an art exhibition at l'Alliance Française in Dubai in June 2024. Her “Nature City” series has been featured in the openeyelemagazine.fr and her various works in several articles in The Weekend Culture paper. See more of her work on her website and her Instagram.
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This photograph is part of an ongoing project titled Veld, which documents the tropical grasslands and desert landscapes of Southern Africa. My connection to this region is deeply personal; my family hails from Zimbabwe, and my wife is from Namibia. Although I was born and raised in London, I visited Zimbabwe every few years during my childhood, but those trips ceased as I entered my teenage years. Recently, I've been returning to this area more frequently, and with the distant memories of my youth, I now view the landscape through a new lens.
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This is the 143rd edition of this publication. The newsletter also read on web (best for viewing images), and via the Substack iOS/Android apps.
TENDER PHOTO is a digital platform of African photography, edited by Emmanuel Iduma. Our aim is to use photography to engage with life on the African continent. We publish narratives about the people, places, and events pictured in photographs, contributing to nuanced and layered perceptions.
Every Wednesday we feature a photograph, a short caption about it, and a statement from the photographer. Last year, we published commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter, including CORRESPONDENCES, CONCORDANCE, KINDRED, INDEX, and AFFINITIES.
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So true what you say! We need Mother Nature to heal.
Fantastic picture.