Wildflower

It seems prestige and expectation cloud the freedom, individuality, and creative spirit of many. Lost among countless names of successful predecessors, the overwhelming desire to succeed in life is all consuming and has built man into a greedy and unfamiliar creature. Lost in a little solace, together Lucas Geneste and photographer Elise Notseck roam unfamiliar paths, leaving behind the urban sprawl that has infected nature’s home, uplifted its roots from the ground and polluted its delicate air. Pirouetting over fallen logs and aimlessly becoming fixated in a land that only his own eyes can see, Lucas recognises the illustrious offerings of the space that surrounds him.

Gallivanting about in nature’s playground, Lucas shows off in the miraculous creations that man have created from it. Marion Hassan uses inspiring textures alongside structured and tailored lines, sitting against the haphazard array of branches and leaves. The rich things that have grown from the very soil beneath his feet are unrecognisable. No homage is paid, no familiarities in the clothes that he wraps upon his shoulders to their raw and organic beginnings, but man can make things beautiful in their own way sometimes. Layered and sculptured, he is a piece of art in these woods, an expression of what he wants to be, the ground offering him bounteous opportunities to indulge in these different identities.

But differences are stark. While shrouded in earthy tones he stands out against his surroundings, he is no longer nature’s product, instead a product of his own being. He is no longer a boy, wandering in the woods - no longer seeking shelter. Outgrowing the fantasies and desires that once were. For a while, perhaps the product of the ever-growing metropolis that lies within concrete walls. But in this moment, he has returned. A new field, but a sense of familiarity lingers within, the earth beneath feels strong, the wind driving him forwards. And most present, the possibility that this one life can, in fact, be wild and precious, and ours.