Nature emits a subtle, low-frequency hum, a vibration that resonates through the soil and air. This is the Earth’s natural heartbeat, which was first theoretically predicted by Tesla and later became known as the Schumann Resonance. It is a transglobal electromagnetic wave, a result of ceaseless lightning activity across the planet, perpetually exciting the vast, invisible cavity between our surface and the ionosphere. During our evolution, this rhythm became an invisible part of our existence, but it only reveals itself in moments of deep communion with place.
In 7.83Hz, I explore this hidden resonance through the portal of Dapingshan, an unassuming mountain in Southern China. Dapingshan does not hold the prestige of the celebrated Buddhist peaks of China, even though its slopes served as a local burial ground for generations, who were unconsciously attracted to a location with more purely felt vibrations. The tombs, weathered into the landscape, create echoes of mortality woven through a living ecosystem, amplifying nature’s resonance.
As I started working in the shadows of the densely overgrown rainforest, elements emerged gradually, like memories of a collective unconscious: the curve of an ancestor's headstone, Buddhist flags suspended in murky light, offerings left during Tomb-Sweeping Day (Qingming Jie) when families tend graves otherwise forgotten for the rest of the year.
Using my camera as a sensitive magnetometer attuned to the imperceptible thrum, it guided me to a presence felt more than heard or seen, creating records of tremors in an overlooked landscape. The resulting visual translation invites the viewers to allow themselves to listen to our natural harmony with Earth’s pulse, which is echoed during alpha relaxation states and meditation, where this frequency dominates our brainwave activity.
In this work, I suggest that sacredness thrives not in the monumental, but in the intimate spaces where light barely penetrates. These photographs dwell deliberately in the low registers, where revelation comes not through illumination but through patient attention to what barely surfaces from the dark. The pulse of the world makes itself known to those willing to peer into the shadows.