Photographer David Zheng has unveiled his latest artistic endeavor, "Flutter," a compelling photographic series and artist book that captures mountain landscapes from various locations across different sites. The project represents a deeply personal exploration of emotion and memory, transformed through the lens of natural beauty and organic forms.

Zheng's approach to the subject matter emphasizes the fundamental elements of visual storytelling: form, composition, and texture. Rather than documenting specific geographical locations, his work serves as a suggestion toward feelings and emotions, creating an abstract connection between viewer and landscape. The photographs transcend traditional landscape photography by focusing on the emotional resonance of natural environments rather than their literal representation.

The title "Flutter" draws its inspiration from an unexpected source: nature documentaries that revealed how birds flutter their wings in symbolic gestures to communicate with one another. This concept of subtle, meaningful communication through movement became central to Zheng's artistic vision. The metaphor of fluttering represents the delicate, ephemeral nature of both communication and emotional expression.

A profound personal tragedy gave new meaning to Zheng's 2019 body of work. Following the death of his mother in 2023, the artist experienced overwhelming emotions during his grief process, which caused him to revisit and reinterpret his earlier photographs with fresh perspective. The work that he had created four years prior suddenly began to take on a new resonance, revealing layers of meaning that had previously remained hidden.

The emotional turbulence that Zheng experienced during his period of mourning found unexpected parallels in the organic forms of nature he had captured years earlier. His photographs reveal what he describes as the "low frequency vibrations of the landscape," expressed through the natural grain of 35mm film. This technique creates images that are simultaneously unsettling and beautiful, reflecting the complex emotions associated with loss and memory.

The Bay Area's volatile climate serves as both backdrop and metaphor in Zheng's work. Perched on hiking trails throughout the region, the artist found himself sensing the transient power of the natural environment around him. The unpredictable weather patterns and changing atmospheric conditions mirror the emotional volatility of grief, creating a powerful connection between internal and external landscapes. Like the flutter of a small bird's wings caught in the wind, these moments capture the fragile yet persistent nature of life and memory.