The role of zoological parks in wildlife conservation is becoming increasingly more important. This group of images examines the landscape-immersion philosophy of current zoos. It is the philosophy that exhibits should be designed to acknowledge the importance and value of natural systems. These modern arks are "a metaphor for our attitudes to and relationships with Nature" (Hancocks, 2001). In many ways, they offer proof of our distorted and disconnected views of the natural world. These spaces, which blur the line between fact and fiction, are home to many of the world's endangered species. I am fascinated by how these replicated, unnatural spaces modeled from nature are rendered as photographic images. The perverse beauty of their forms strike a compelling contrast to the reality they portray. This body of work examines these spaces and the paradoxes they create.
Phil Jung Photography
Phillip Jung currently lives and works in both Honolulu and Boston. He teaches at the University of Hawaii throughout the school year and at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design through the summer.