尋訪地表上最原始的角落
沉浸於繁星黑夜與千年古樹共譜的靜謐時光
世界上大部分的地方，夜晚的天空越來越明亮，僅存的無人造光源污染的原始黑夜，需要像保存原始林一樣的去守護並隔絕起來。Beth Moon在前一本黑白攝影集Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time之中，趕在各地古老巨樹消失前，將其跨越千年的生命痕跡帶到世人眼前。這本全新彩色攝影集Ancient Skies, Ancient Trees則標示世界上最後僅存的黑暗地帶，以飽滿的色調呈現平時裸視太暗淡的景象，包含星座、星雲、銀河與老樹的生命力。同她前一本著作，絕美的星空映照在世界上最古老的樹種之上，包含猴麵包樹、橄欖樹和紅杉，在南非，英國和加州等地。
隨著Beth Moon的相片，漸漸地我們已非凝望那巨木與星空，而是時間的刻痕。(文/博客來編譯)
Throughout much of the world, night skies are growing increasingly brighter, but the force that protects the remaining naturally dark sky, unpolluted by artificial light, is the same that saves its ancient trees—isolation. Staking out some of the world’s last dark places, photographer Beth Moon uses a digital camera to reveal constellations, nebulae, and the Milky Way, in rich hues that are often too faint to be seen by the naked eye. As in her acclaimed first volume, Ancient Trees: Portraits of Time, these magnificent images encounter great arboreal specimens, including baobabs, olive trees, and redwoods, in such places as South Africa, England, and California.
In her artist’s statement, Beth Moon describes the experience of shooting at night in these remote places. An essay by Jana Grcevich, postdoctoral fellow of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History, provides the perspective of a scientist racing to study the stars in a world growing increasingly brighter. Clark Strand, the author of Waking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age, takes a different tack, illuminating the inherent spirituality of trees.
Beth Moon is a photographer based in New York who has gained international recognition for her large-scale, richly toned platinum prints. Her prints are held in numerous public and private collections and have appeared in more than sixty solo and group exhibitions in the United States, Italy, England, France, Israel, Brazil, Dubai, Singapore, and Canada, receiving widespread critical acclaim. With this new book, she explores color photography for the first time.
Clark Strand is an American author and lecturer on spirituality and religion. He is the first Senior Editor of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, and the founder of Way of the Rose, a nonsectarian rosary fellowship with members around the world. His recent works are Waking Up to the Dark: Ancient Wisdom for a Sleepless Age (2015) and Waking the Buddha (2014).
Jana Grcevich is a Kathryn W. Davis postdoctoral fellow in astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. Her research focuses on dwarf galaxies and gas in space. She also works with Guerilla Science’s Intergalactic Travel Bureau, which blends science and performance art to plan participants’ space vacations.
