Prophecies of Arcadia
Prophecies speak to our past, present, and future. Man is in a constant battle with themselves to maintain dominance of the earth, while nature continues to adapt. Countless man-made structures are lost to the ages, swallowed up by vines and undergrowth. Nature conversation is, by some accounts, a selfish and human-centric act. We preserve the earth because we do not want to disappear. However, the planet will continue without us in one form or another, new species will emerge. This is not to be nihilistic, but rather an observation of how our earnest actions can still have selfish desires. We save nature because on some level, we want to see it, to possess it with our eyes. But, nature will survive. It is as tenacious as we are, but with the miraculous power of transformation. It will thrive in concrete cities, vines twisting through the wire fences and steel bars, weeds and trees bursting through the cracks and leaving streets and monuments to crumble.
Mount Moriah Cemetery (c. 1855) was the first cemetery in Philadelphia accessible by streetcar, which made it more available to middle class, African American, Muslim, and Jewish families who did not have personal transportation or would otherwise be excluded from places like Laurel Hill Cemetery. Almost 400 acres at its height, it has been cut down to just less than 160 acres. Not only is the cemetery shrinking in size, but it is wasting away. The Friends of Mount Moriah Cemetery (FOMMCI) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the historic site, clearing away brush and repairing the old entrance, now a crumbling gateway reminiscent of Arcadian paintings of Roman temples and ruined palaces.
Prophecies of Arcadia documents a clash against time, countless efforts to preserve a space for the dead, a burial ground of memories that nature endlessly tries to claim. While lush in the summer, the cemetery in winter acts as two grave sites: one for humanity, one for the weeds, brambles, bushes, and vines that threaten to consume the tombstones. It is a reminder that we are a part of nature and that all living things shall return to dust. But, like all living things, we will continue to strive for even the smallest chance of survival as the great wheel of fate spins round and round.
