Matthew Moreau
The Bounds of Eden, 2021
The Bounds of Eden is a short film, inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s work The Garden of Earthly Delights. It aims to explore the relationship between religion and the environment and considers the role of the concept of Eden within modern society by showcasing the effects of capitalist consumption on natural landscapes throughout South Africa.
Over the course of time, I have personally witnessed these changes within South Africa’s landscape. Through the contrasts shown in these images, the project sets out to highlight the corruption of pure our pure Eden by harsh industrial sites. The black and white deadpan aesthetic used aims to evoke the raw and dejected emotion I feel and inspire environmental action to resist any further destructive change to these already brutalised landscapes.