Flavorwire

As completely stupid as it is to admit, it’s easy to forget that paper really does come from trees. Take Chicago artist Dan Bradica’s Constructions photo series, which intersperses enormous, bright paper sculptures with nature. From packaging trees together in a bright red wrapper to piling up cardboard boxes in an empty forest, the paper constructions are transformed into glaringly out-of-place strangers in their own place of origin.

“This project is a result of a personal desire for an idyllic wilderness within reach of my Midwestern home,” Brandica writes of the series. “With this work, I explore contained and illusive spaces that are shaped by their geographic location, yet appear separated from their immediate surroundings. This work attempts to examine our perceptions and interpretations of nature, further investigating our place within the ecosystem.”

Click through a slideshow of photographs below.

Photo credit: Dan Bradica