Dancing With Systems: Tracing The Whychus
by Ben Erlandson
David Orr explains, ‘Bioregionalism’ is the name given to our attempts to integrate the ecological potential of an ecosystem into our institutions.
The bioregionalism inherent in my work is oriented toward establishing a sense of place. My definition for sense of place is: how you perceive the reality of where you are and what your perception of that reality means to you.
Using timelapse filmmaking and natural light photography, I explore the juxtaposition of space, time, and light to create bioregional visual narratives that foster our perceptions of ‘place.’
The visual compositions encourage us to think beyond ourselves and our increasingly distracted frenetic existence, while offering opportunities for understanding and appreciating our world’s complexities.
Donella Meadows warns us, “We can’t control systems or figure them out. But we can dance with them!”
ABOUT THE CREATOR
Dr. Benjamin Erlandson has been practicing photography and filmmaking for three decades. Trained in narrative, photography, filmmaking, and new media production at UNC-Asheville (BA) and Emerson College (MA), he captures multimodal narrative traces in defiance of anthropocentrism and human exceptionalism. In 2025, he was a multidisciplinary artist-scholar in residence at Pine Meadow Ranch in Sisters, Oregon. He is a volunteer trail steward and photographer for the National Park Service on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Website: www.erlandsonphotography.com
Linktree: benerlandson
Instagram: @beerland
Facebook: @erlandsonphotography