A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE small—scale SUBLIME

Andrea Werres

In the urban jungle, we have a way of seeking the sublime that is small in scale but no less profound. This approach takes its cue from the historic ideologies of the sublime, which traditionally referred to the grandeur and power of nature’s mountains, wildernesses, and ravages. But in our modern, restricted human world, I have shrunk these concepts down to fit within the confines of the city. Here we find fleeting structures, nature reclaiming its territory, and the devastating consequences of our relationship with our surroundings. Though these phenomena may seem smaller and less powerful than the original sublime, they still hold the same importance in terms of making and breaking meaning. As a way of seeing one’s own place as a fleeting spark in the vast universe, we find that we have shifted from feeling threatened by nature to posing a threat to it.

I investigated the neighbourhood I live in and recorded a short film documenting the overshadowed environments that surround us. Deptford became a microcosm of the larger world, where stories of resilience, rebellion, and growth sprouted from the crevices and were etched upon the surfaces. It reminds us that there is beauty to be found in the overlooked, the forgotten, and the seemingly insignificant.

Instagram: @aawerres
Email: andreawerres@yahoo.de

A VISUAL GUIDE TO THE small—scale SUBLIME

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