Andrea Evgenieva

‘Cybernatural’ is a blurred reality, an amalgamation between wild natural and futuristic cyber realms. ‘Synergy’ depicts an eventual, post-power struggle utopian symbiosis of both cyber and nature, a hopeful call to teamwork and a logical future of coexistence.

We are living in a time of modern re-enchantment as we deliberately seek out happy and joyful experiences and break away from the previously dominant hyper-rational society. The search for magical experiences as a way to escape the mundanity of everyday life (along with algorithmically supercharged moral panics) lets me as an artist delve into the deeper issue of how cyber merges with nature. I find it interesting how trends such as #VillainEra, mixed with the supernatural and the occult with demonic undertones are shaping current brand campaigns, because ultimately people are moving away from the male gaze, and rather highlighting that beauty today is not meant to standardise everyone’s look; its meant to make people feel something. Cybernatural Synergy is a mix of my love for the surreal and slightly uncomfortable imagery with the ethereal and fairy-like, showcasing that embracing one’s individuality and self expression is a beautiful process wherein one can take from the ‘old’ and mix it with the ‘new’.

It also highlights what philosopher Mark Fisher calls ‘escapist nostalgia’ caused through the intensification of sociotechnological integration and a subsequent negative outlook on capital. As Fisher remarks, “the escapist nostalgia for a precapitalist world that mars political protest is also embedded in popular culture’s simulations of the past. The accelerationist dystopia of Terminator has been replaced by the primitivist yearnings of Avatar.” (Mackay and Avanessian, 2017). I reference this through the use of medieval elements adorned by the models, wherein they become a manifestation of this nostalgia. This juxtaposition, while visually striking, also serves to highlight the tension and interplay between tradition and innovation, the natural and the artificial. It is both a critique and an embrace of the rapidly changing world we live in.

'Cybernatural Synergy' also underscores the evolving dynamics between humans and technology. As the digital landscape continues to expand, it not only changes our relationship with the natural world but also shapes our identities and experiences. It is a realm where the boundaries between the real and the virtual, the organic and the synthetic, are increasingly blurred.

This fusion of realities raises thought-provoking questions about what it means to be human in a technologically mediated world. Does our entanglement with technology diminish our connection to nature, or does it offer a new way of engaging with the natural world? How does this synergy influence our understanding of self and society?

Furthermore, the images challenge us to consider how we can harness the power of technology to create a more harmonious balance with nature. The nature and cyber models encourages the audience to envision a future where technology and nature coexist, not in opposition, but in a state of mutual benefit and interdependence.

Ultimately, 'Cybernatural Synergy' is more than just a concept; it is a call to action. It beckons us to rethink our relationship with technology and nature, to explore new pathways of coexistence, and to embrace the possibilities of a future shaped by the synergy of the cyber and the natural.

credits list (IG):

Creative Director/Set Design: @andreaevgenieva 

Producer: @aishxahamed  

Photographer: @theundisciplinedtrigger @alexpuliatti 

MUA: @saph.art 

Stylist: @jenniferrxiv @prxttymimi 

Model: @chlo._.weeee @josiexding 

Hair Stylist: @soulkittten 

Videographer: @anna.leyko 

Lighting + Digi: @ray7suns 

3D graphics: @eri_dart

Post-Production: @by.janicekei

Studio: @flash.studios.london 

Special thanks to: @essay_visuals 

Wardrobe Credits : 

@xivxtra  @miiiwiii @klara_fokicheva @selenasancaktarstudio @kkyvely