Capturing the organic yet invasive nature of our urban development, Atlas: Human Presence attempts to depict the way in which our urban expansion mirrors that of any other organism enveloping its host. Using satellite imagery courtesy of the NASA Earth Observatory, we are looking at cities in a way that barely represents what we consider our homes. On the other end of the spectrum, if we take microscopic images of natural and organic materials we see the same shapes begin to form.

Are we occupying our planet comparable to a virus? Or are we developing the way nature intended?

“I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species, and I realised that humans are not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment; but you humans do not. Instead you multiply, and multiply, until every resource is consumed. The only way for you to survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern… a virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer on this planet, you are a plague, and we… are the cure.”  The Matrix (1999)

Ultimately, the Atlas: Human Presence collection tells a story inspired by urban landscapes and bold colour.