© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

Yes, we are the ones. The human species, the one that modifies the environment with tools. Where does this power come from, and why? Someone finds it in language, that sound that becomes a word and later creates the world. At the same time that we name nature, we somehow manifest the ability to dominate it, plagiarize it, transform it. We are the instrumental animal; we are the ones able to distinguish the branch from the stick. We are the ones who create disorder, upset the balance, block the water cycle, dig into the bowels of the earth, leaving scraps and waste around, those who feel different from their surroundings. Perhaps all this comes from the recognition of death, and therefore from the need for an afterlife? Is the existence of a higher life to push one to pursue a divine model and therefore live arrogantly here on earth?

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

And we build cities, factories, cathedrals, skyscrapers. They are symbols of power. And those who have more can count on a workforce, on consensus, and can put people in check. Stories like the one photographed by Sam Oberter filled the world for centuries; it is full of company towns, compromises, and promises. Of men and women ready to sacrifice their health, their time, their desires for security, for a guarantee, for a dignified existence. How can people be blamed for all this? Mining capitalism built on the exploitation of natural resources devours the earth worldwide, producing externalities, sometimes catastrophes. The corporate rules govern the future.

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town' 

Sam Oberter’s project, therefore, invites us to reflect on a community spirit built not on a sense of belonging but on the fear of losing stability. How precarious can a community grew on these foundations be? And then, solidarity based on the destruction of ecosystems what does it leave for future generations? This is a photographic series that is crashing into urgent and worrying questions.

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

© Sam Oberter from the series 'An Unincorporated Town'

Sam Oberter (website)