ANTE PERPETUUM

Ante Perpetuum is a meditation on the pieces of driftwood found on the bank of the Hudson River.

In June 2022 Elizaveta Kozlova discovered numerous pieces of driftwood on the bank of the Hudson River in New York. She was inspired by the unique shape and texture of the driftwood, but what intrigued her the most was the future process of decomposition that was going to take place once the wood would be further affected by wind, water and temperature.

Elizaveta Kozlova named her photo series ANTE PERPETUUM which translates from Latin as Before Forever. This title stems from Elizaveta's desire to capture the unique sculptural design of the driftwood before it gets fully destroyed and vanishes into eternity.

ANTE PERPETUUM is an on-going project as Elizaveta plans to continue photographing the same pieces of driftwood as they get further distressed. The full photographic product will contain images of the gradual decomposition of the driftwood. The last two images currently included in the series depict the same piece of driftwood as in the first image of the series, but five months later.

The overall purpose of the ANTE PERPETUUM series is to urge the audience to meditate on the concept of time and transformation. What used to be trees, growing and flourishing, is now a sculpture, a reminder of the uniqueness of each natural creation.

The seven ANTE PERPETUUM prints submitted for the PhMuseum 2023 Photography Grant have been presented at a private showing in New York City in 2022 as 24x36 inch framed art prints.