Photo Illustrator and Photo Source – Nick Pedersen
Location: Philadelphia, PA, USA
Sumeru is a body of work that metaphorically illustrates the mental journey that is undertaken in Zen Buddhist training and practice. In Zen literature, the word ‘land’ is commonly used as a symbol for the ‘mind’, and through a series of photographic montage images I have envisioned an exploration into the depths of this metaphorical ‘mind-world’. The narrative follows a spiritual quest as the storyline symbolically wanders through various states of consciousness and perceptions.
Trailing Mud and Dripping Water
The Forest of Thorns
Entangling Vines
Clinging to Bushes and Weeds
The Tiger’s Lair
Capturing the Tiger
Passing Through the Brambles
Flowers in the Sky
Mountains and Waters
Groping Blindly in the Dark
Entering the Stream
The Quiet and Secret Land
Following the Wind
The Land of Silent Light
Floating Mists
Silver Mountains and Iron Cliffs
The Mountain of Darkness
A Thousand Fathom Wall
The Mystic Peak
Thundering Silence
A Death-Dealing Blade
A Life-Giving Sword
Overturning Mountains
Leaving No Traces