In recent weeks, I have become interested in an ancient book called the Tao Te Ching and the philosophy of Taoism. Throughout history, Taoist art, with its natural landscapes and small, winding footpaths, has presented a commentary on humanity’s need for humility in the face of Mother Nature. Taoist gardens have been constructed to represent a way that humans can live in harmony with natural forms–such as a meandering stream rather than a straight-edged concrete block. While there is a poetry to this idea, it does not really represent modern life. As I walked through Duke’s campus, I could see both humbling snapshots of the natural world, and moments charged with humanity’s resistance to it.

Campus Tao is a meditation on the sometimes subtle line between humbly living in harmony with nature, simply coexisting with it, and overtaking it. At what points are we appreciating nature as opposed to displacing it? When are we the caregivers, and when do we receive our own healing and care?