Series Introduction
This project was shot in the fall of 2019, seeded from the concept of creation arising from destruction. Over the course of a week, I explored and documented the green rooftop garden atop the Warsaw University Library, one of the largest in Europe.
I imposed one creative restriction: each photograph had to encompass both an element of nature and an element of the built environment. This intersection creates a unique portrait of the human experience, reflecting the juxtaposition of intellect and instinct, logic and play, and the linear with the mysterious. The delicate balance of this contrast speaks to our potential for both destruction and creation.
The project conveys the experience of being within this garden, a place where humanity has chosen to create and nurture nature as a form of healing and growth, transcending a painful history.
Warsaw, a city rebuilt from devastating destruction, mirrors this theme. Its modern infrastructure, including the rooftop garden, is a testament to vision, potential, and renewal.
On a personal note, this project coincided with the end of my marriage, a heavy emotional lens that shaped my perspective. The green roof in Warszawa offered solace and a sense of being held amidst loss and uncertainty.
Find this project featured in Edge of Humanity.
Artist Statement
Through photography, I listen to a language outside of words. Flattened and framed within the viewfinder, the mundane around me shape-shifts into elements of nuance and poetry — a language of relational forms and light.
Warsaw's rooftop garden lifted me above the city — literally and otherwise. Perched high, held within a controlled and peaceful environment, I felt safe enough to put my guard down completely and just listen. The garden itself seemed to model this: built atop a city that survived devastating destruction, it transforms a painful history into something living and beautiful.
I share these images because this place moved me deeply, and because places that transform pain into beauty deserve to be witnessed. The people who dreamed and built this garden gave that gift to Warsaw. I am grateful to pass a small piece of it on to you.
This project celebrates the visionaries—designers, architects, engineers, and leaders—who weave together spaces where humanity and nature coexist in harmony, crafting environments that reflect our deepest aspirations and our capacity for renewal.
**Credits:**
Architecture by Marek Budzynski and Zbigniew Badowski
Landscape architecture and garden design by Irena Bajerska