FSU Libraries’ Art in the Library Committee organizes visual and performing arts programming in its spaces to enrich the library as an aesthetic and academic environment. A major part of this program includes exhibiting artwork drawn from the FSU student body on a semester-long basis.
Dylan Cook is a recently graduated Environmental Studies major from FSU and has previously interned with the Florida Geological Survey. Cook grew up near the Florida Everglades and his formative experiences as a youth spending time outdoors in these environs have greatly shaped both his professional and artistic work. Each photograph presented in this exhibition both documents Cook’s personal encounters with Florida’s rugged natural environs and communicates the importance of protecting our state’s natural ecosystems as well. Get to know Dylan more through his replies to our 10 questions below.
- Tell us about this show. Give our readers a brief introduction to the work you are exhibiting with us this semester.
- The body of my work encapsulates the natural shapes and landscapes found in Florida. My pieces feature macros that highlight the textures often overlooked. I tried to include at least one picture from every trophic level to show that they are all important parts of the ecosystem.
- What is your favorite work in this show? Tell us a little more about the story behind it.
- My favorite photo is Buffer. I took this photo while diving with friends at 70 feet of fresh water after I found a small malfunction in my gear. In scuba diving, it’s easy to lose control of the situation if you can’t stay calm. I like this photo the most because it reminds me of a time when I was able to make it out of a tough spot by staying calm and collected.
- What inspired or influenced you to become an artist?
- I enjoy hiking by myself when I want to relax, and I enjoy hiking with my friends because I’m able to show them something interesting. The photos I take allow me to look back at these times and appreciate them. If anything inspired me to get outside, it was the time I spent with my family going to parks as a kid.
- What does your artwork represent about you? What message do you want to send out into the world through your art?
- My artwork represents my appreciation for the environment and my capacity for adventure. I express myself through my art by putting in the time and effort to get the right shot in the right location. My artistic process involves the right mix of planning, luck, and sweat.
- Does your work comment on current social or political issues? If so, how?
- The current climate crisis is something I hope people pay more attention to. Part of the reason why I take photos is to document the current health of a place. An important part of gauging the health of an ecosystem is knowing where it started. Unfortunately, a lack of documentation of our natural environment has led to a phenomenon called shifting baselines, where we forget what an ecosystem looked like before we started interfering with natural processes. This makes it difficult to restore it to its original beauty.
- Do you have any long-term goals related to making your artwork?
- Nothing serious; right now, it’s just a hobby that I enjoy. I’d like to save up to get some better equipment, but what I have has worked just fine so far.
- How does being a student impact your creative process?
- My busy schedule often prohibits me from spending too much time on my photography. However, I feel that the topics I am learning about in my environmental science classes provide me with a different perspective on the places I go and the subjects I choose.
- Is research part of your art-making process? If so, could you give us an idea of what that process is like? Where do you do research before you start making? Are there any specific kinds of information that are critical to your work?
- Sometimes I will do research on a location before I visit it but I try not to lean on this too much because then it won’t feel like an adventure to me. I like to be surprised when I go somewhere, and part of my process is striving to experience something new and unique.
- What is your dream project or collaboration?
- I’d like to do more photography in the Everglades. It’s an extremely dynamic system that has more than enough photography opportunities and if I can support legislation to protect it, I would be very grateful. I’m also interested in macrophotography in the Red Sea.
- Where can our readers learn more about you and your work? Please share any social media or personal contact information you’d like to have published on our blog.
- My photography Instagram is @terrablephotos.