Shared Matter
Our world is structured through categories and divisions—systems that determine where empathy, care, and respect are granted, and where they are withheld. Humans are positioned apart from animals, land, and oceans, as though we were not part of the same living system. In the age of the Anthropocene, where human activity dominates and devastates ecosystems, this separation has become normalized and destructive. Interestingly enough, in several Indigenous languages and worldviews, there is no direct equivalent to the Western concept of “nature” as separate from humanity. Language reflects a relational understanding in which humans, animals, land, and water exist in continuous interdependence, without a single abstract noun that places the non-human world at a distance.
This project offers a visual reminder of that entanglement. Through an exploration of form and shape, natural forms such as rocks, ice, the bark of a tree, and human and animal shapes are placed in dialogue through a poetic, slightly abstract visual language, tracing resonances across apparent difference. Shot on black-and-white analog film and developed by hand, the work embraces imperfections as reminders of photography’s material presence and fragility.
About the Photographer
Deeply connected to the natural world and passionate about the relationships between humans, animals, and their environments, Sabina Diethelm is a photographer from Winterthur, Switzerland. She loves spending time in nature, observing its forms and rhythms, and brings curiosity and empathy to her work. With a background in writing and editing, she approaches photography with a storyteller’s eye, noticing small details and moments that often go unseen. Her images create meaningful narratives that explore interdependence, form, and subtle beauty, using natural light to craft work that is both visually compelling and reflective.
About the budget