"The Mundane as Art"

- @kus-knee

Before anything else, I just want say that I'm a believer to the "Mundane as Art". In fact I made my own photo series of it in which I featured escalators & stairs. This time, I'm taking it to a different level, on a lower level of view, down to the ground, and it's about the beauty of a moss.

To glorify a common moss is much more difficult than having an awesome Architectural building or a pretty model figure as subjects. It is for a simple reason that the appreciation that we give to the mundane things is so inferior. In fact, most of us considered moss as a piece of dirt. Well, for this post I would like to prove it wrong. It's easier said than done. That's also true, I attest to that.

To be honest, when I was about to start my photography of the moss few minutes ago, I didn't know what to do. It's only until I was on the process of taking the shots that I realize how beautiful these subjects are. From a far, they look like stains or "green colored dirt". But when seen up-close, it reveals astounding details that are amazing to look at. So without further ado, here are few of the series of shots I did...

Among all of the photos, this one is what I like the most. I'm amazed how it covers the bark and small branches of the tree. Not to mention the vibrant colors of yellow and green which looks like a small pocket of forest. On top of that, I was astounded by the small details on its tiny stems and minute leaves that can only be seen clearly on a macro lens.

For this photo, I like how the vibrant green moss is popping-out from the dark brown color of the tree bark. The colors and textures of the moss and the bark compliments each other. The bark of the tree and smooth fur-like moss looks like an oil-based painting on a rough canvass.

While I was exploring the trees around our area, I also noticed a type of orchid that grew on the trunk of the tree.

I was really interested into it that I made a quick research about it, it is actually named as Button Orchid (Dischidia Nummularia). I guess like everyone else, I thought that it's an orchid. I was wrong, it's actually a type of vine that clings on the bark of trees which serves as the host. It is a plant native to Queensland and Malaysia which happens to be both tropical countries. The name "nummularia or nummularius" came from the Latin word which means "money changer", and that's because of it's coin shaped leaves.

The challenge given by @kus-knee led me on my discovery of this unique looking plant, which I thought to be an orchid but actually a vine. Also, on this challenge I learned to appreciate a mundane thing like a moss, it's a realization to me. I guess we just have to put more effort to look closely and pay attention to the mundane just like how we look at the more pleasing subjects that we normally have. Who knows, you might discover more than what you expected.

So that's about it on my quick journey in discovering the beauty and art of the mundane. I hope you enjoyed reading my article about it. And thank you for reaching this far!