Muriel Vega - Forest(s)
. Collection .
Photography is an antidote to amnesia, to silence, to the erasure of our consciences.
Through it, I hope to recall the presence of forests, to celebrate the majesty of this plant world
and highlight its vulnerability which is ultimately a reflection of ours.
Fontainebleau - 2024
The Fontainebleau Forest, formerly called the Bière forest (derived from heather), is a large wooded area of 25,000 ha. 35 million years ago, the sea took the place of the forest. It deposited sediments around fifty meters thick. The forest floor contains up to 98% sand. This white sand is one of the purest in the world and is used for glassmaking (Murano in Venice), for optical fibers... This sand formed the rocky bars which characterize the forest landscape. The most represented trees are: oaks (45%), Scots pine (40%), beech (10%). The "king's bouquets" characteristic of the forest are oaks whose branches separate from the base. Initially a rare species, the Scots pine has developed since 1830.
Analog photography – Large format 4x5 camera
Inkjet print - Fine Art Agave 290g paper for color photographs
Gelatin silver print – Fine Art Barythé 255g for B&W photographs
Format 40x50cm, 70x90cm, 110x133cm - Edition of 9 copies
Fontainebleau - 2016 / 2023
Analog photography – Medium format 6x8cm
Inkjet print - Fine Art Agave 290g paper for color photographs
Gelatin silver print – Fine Art Barythé 255g for B&W photographs
Format 30x40cm, 40x50cm, 60x80cm - Edition of 9 copies
Asque – 2018
The Little Amazon of the Pyrenees or Gourgue d'Asque in Occitan is a natural area made up of gorges located along the upper course of the Arros, upstream of the French commune of Asque (Hautes-Pyrénées) in the region of Baronnies des Pyrenees. At this location, the Arros, very close to its source, follows a valley enclosed between two large rock barriers and crosses the Gourgue d'Asque, a gorge resulting from erosion and the work of water for millennia on the limestone rock. This place with a humidity level close to saturation has allowed the development of a large lush forest of centuries-old boxwoods looking like a jungle, with its trees and rocks covered with moss, lichens and ferns including giant centipedes giving it a tropical appearance.
Analog photography – Medium format 6x8cm
Inkjet print - Fine Art Agave 290g paper for color photographs
Gelatin silver print – Fine Art Barythé 255g for B&W photographs
Format 30x40cm, 40x50cm, 60x80cm - Edition of 9 copies
La Gomera – 2016
The island of La Gomera is home to one of the last rainforests in the Canary Islands. Although the island is arid in nature, the Garajonay National Park, listed as a UNESCO heritage site, is on the other hand covered in lush vegetation draped in mist and enjoying a stable temperature all year round. . These fogs are essential for the forest because they produce the condensed water vapor necessary and vital for the survival of this lush green environment. The creation of vast integral reserves prohibited to visitors as well as extractive activities is almost unique in the laurel forests of the Canary Islands. The forest has a great diversity of plant species, often drowned in a sea of fog which gives this forest a magical appearance.
Analog photography – Large format 4x5 camera
Inkjet print - Fine Art Agave 290g paper
Format 40x50cm, 70x90cm, 110x133cm - Edition of 9 copies