Poignant Landscapes by Van Thi Diep

Poignant Landscapes by Van Thi Diep

More than language, more than material, and ever ambiguous, landscapes span two, three, and four dimensions, morphing to become whatever impression the world needs to be for us to feel emplaced. With the power to move us to tears, calm our souls, and awaken our sense of wonder, poignant landscapes unconceal hidden gateways to our sense of ontological belonging. In the journey back to the undivided self that knows no separation between nature and culture, landscapes also reveal the conflicts of our human-world relationship. In the disharmony of our internal and external natures, the legacy of placelessness persists in our physical and psychological landscapes and in the narratives we use to describe ourselves and the world.

In the wisdom of poignant landscapes is the permission to feel the pain of being human, to be loved exactly as we are without conditions, and to be inspired by the sacredness of life. This collection of short essays, poetry, and photographs mirrors the fluidity of landscapes by transcending the human binaries of intellectualism and emotionality, inner and outer world experiences, and individual and collective existence, to return to the gift of being in a powerful landscape--the knowing that true belonging does not exist outside of us, but instead, is found intuitively within.