In the 21st century, we as a human race have been corrupted by the desire for surplus luxuries and distractions at the expense of the world around us. Forests have become decimated by industrial mammoths, rivers polluted with oil spills, and thousands of species brought to the brink of extinction. Humans have lost their connection with nature. To express this message, Ralph Waldo Emerson personifies the Sea, alluding to the fact that humans only respect their own kind; therefore, Emerson is successfully able to make the reader sympathize with nature. In Seashore, Ralph Waldo Emerson juxtaposes the beauty of unspoiled nature against its collision with the civilization of humans. In the process, he ridicules the blatant ignorance displayed by humans in the face of nature’s central power over the human race’s own survival.
To express the central importance of the Sea, I chose to use Emerson’s poem as the foundation and narrative guide for my Ecovideo. I focused on capturing the ocean in its natural state, without altering or embellishing what I saw. I wanted to film the video by being a passive observer, which was to try to reflect the humility that humans must relearn toward the natural world, watching without controlling. I filmed slow, steady shots, usually lasting between five and ten seconds. I aimed to highlight the ocean’s patience and generosity, standing in contrast to the fast-paced way humans often take from it without thought. In terms of the pacing and aesthetic, I thought this followed MacDonald’s concept of Ecocinema by slowing the viewer’s gaze to encourage deeper reflection. By pairing the shots with Emerson’s verses, I hoped to make the viewer more aware of the poem’s main moral: that the Sea gives endlessly, even as humans continue to exploit it. In the end, my goal was to create an appreciation for the ocean’s beauty and provision to the Earth’s inhabitants while understanding that we reciprocate little in return.
“Say, Pilgrim, why so late and slow to come? This question, asked by the “chiding” sea, has never been more relevant and poignant than it is today. In a world where we have actual climate science to prove the Sea’s message, we continue to prize a synthetic, man-made culture of luxury lofts and leopard-covered sofas over the rock terraces and couches of our sea’s shores. Stuffing ourselves full with superficial distractions, we have not only forgotten our intrinsic ties to the planet, but have also continued to deny our interdependence with nature. In the process, the infections we have inflicted upon our landscapes have gone unnoticed and neglected. Perhaps if we pause and take time to truly listen to the ocean’s message in its “mathematic ebb and flow” or “lie on warm rock ledges and there learn”, we too will wake up to nature’s unity.