I've been noticing a lot of monoliths cropping up in my photography. From Oregon to Egypt via Wales... This one was in the Sinai Desert. Notice the Nissan pick up in the corner. I thought I had cropped that out...
The Sinai was awe-inspiring on so many levels but the most beautiful thing I saw there was also the most horrifying. I was peering out of the window of our speeding tour bus, air-conditioning blasting me to the melting polar ice caps, we came upon a valley. In this valley, I saw thousands of reflections dancing and swirling through the stifling desert air. At first I thought the blazing sun was reflecting off some species of white desert bird. I wondered what birds they were. They didn't fly in formation like Starlings back home that is for sure. It was very random and erratic but graceful nevertheless.
Then, I realized these graceful white desert birds were actually plastic bags, being blown by the hot winds. Plastic bags from god knows how far had congregated at this holy site, to perform some form death dance... I snapped a photograph through the curtains of the tour bus, but you simply can't freeze that type of thermal energy.
I can't help but think these monoliths protrude rudely from the earth as some form of warning like red flags, or nature's traffic cones. Maybe I've been reading too much Derrick Jensen.
Our current sense of self is no more sustainable than our current use of energy or technology. -Derrick Jensen in the introduction to his book "Endgame: The Problem Of Civilization."
