In Slavic mythology and animistic thought, everything around us is believed to carry a spirit. Inspired by this worldview, we believe it helps to explain, balance, and nurture a connection with the natural environment. It may seem ancient, but in contemporary panpsychism we encountered similar ideas.
Panpsychism is a philosophical theory which fills the gaps within modern science and proposes that every particle in the universe possesses a trace of consciousness and an inherent desire to connect with other particles to create a greater whole. It is through this impulse that matter arranges itself into compositions in which structure and intention, body and mind exist as one. A pile of rocks, a demolished house, and a massive stone wall all have different visual presences that demonstrate how complexity brings vibrancy through distinct character. This character represents matter in a state of low entropy, coming together to form what could be described as a soul.
Fascinated by this alternative view of reality, we turned our curiosity towards the ensouling of the environment, and we embarked on a photographic journey to capture the soul within stones. Stones are not only powerful symbols of matter naturally fused over time, but also silent storytellers of the past, bearing traces of contacts with human culture. We documented stones in their various states, their physicality, their place, and their context within the environment to translate them into visualizations of conscious energy. By physically interacting with the stones and altering their perception, we discovered a new way to further express our search.