João Pereira de Araújo
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Submerged Portraits
Drowning World is my attempt to create an intimate and systematic typology of our global climate crisis, to show that the impacts of climate change ignore all delineations of wealth, class, race and geography.
A sequence of ‘Submerged Portraits’ is the heart of the project. My subjects have taken the time – in a situation of great distress – to engage the camera, looking out at us from their inundated homes and devastated environments. They are not disempowered victims in this exchange: they show agency amidst the calamity that has befallen them.
I began this work in 2007 when I photographed two floods that occurred within weeks of each other, one in the UK and the other in India. I was struck by the contrasting impacts of these floods, and the linked vulnerability that seemed to unite my subjects. Since then I have endeavoured to visit flood zones around the world. In total I have made twenty-two flood response trips to thirteen different counties.
This endeavour has taken me on a creative and life-changing journey, with the subject matter fundamentally challenging my practice. Looking back over the years of this work there has been a shift from a traditional documentary approach to a more activist one that incorporates conceptual and metaphorical elements.
Over the years of making this work the global geopolitical situation in relation to our climate emergency has become increasingly urgent. As we experience extreme weather events, driven by climate change, we also see ever-more aggressive denialism (often espoused by populist leaders); a global political system incapable of taking meaningful action; and petro-carbon corporations that are resistant to adopting the most minor measure to reduce carbon emissions. In the face of this, I feel a personal responsibility to make this project speak as loudly as possible.
Carl Coleman and his stepson Cody Lamb
Rolling Ridge Drive
Longs
South Carolina
USA
September 2018
Ahmed
Khairpur Nathan Shah
Sindha
Pakistan
September 2010
João Gonzanga de Sousa
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Kingsley Isiakpere and Edna Silas
Igbogene
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2012
Lucas Williams
Lawshe Plantation
South Carolina
USA
October 2015
Eruabai Ase
Otuaba
Ogbia Municipality
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2022
Terrence Mckeen with his mother, Gloria
Black Creek
Middleburg
Florida
USA
September 2017
Venusha Luxumy Vinitha
Chemin des Pêcheurs
Villeneuve Saint Georges
France
February 2018
Abdul Ghafoor
Goth Muhammad Yousaf Village
Sindh Province
Pakistan
October 2022
Douglas Pratt
McNeil Chapel Road
Longs
South Carolina
USA
September 2018
Abdul Ghafoor
Manghal Khan Brohi Village
Sindh
Pakistan
September 2010
John Long
Conway
South Carolina
USA
September 2018
Francisca Chagas dos Santos
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Shirley Armitage
Moorland Village
Somerset
UK
February 2014
Joy Christian
Dorca Executive Apartments
Otuoke
Ogbia Municipality
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2022
Victor and Hope America
Igbogene
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2012
Amjad Ali Laghari
Goth Bawal Khan Village
Sindh Province
Pakistan
September 2022
Graham Leith and his son Kieran
Toll Bar
South Yorkshire
UK
June 2007
Manzoor Hussain Sheik
Jama Khan Sheikh Village
Sindh Province
Pakistan
October 2022
Anchalee Koyama
Taweewattana District
Bangkok
Thailand
November 2011
Muhammad Chuttal Korai
Khaipur Nathan Shah Village
Sindh Province
Pakistan
September 2022
Abhunu Azibageyam
Otuaba
Ogbia Municipality
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2022
José Alcides dos Santos and Erenilce Lima e Silva
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Winner Odums
Otuaba
Ogbia Municipality
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2022
Florence Abraham
Igbogene
Bayelsa Stte
Nigeria
November 2012
J.B. Singh
Jawahar Nagar
Srinagar
Kashmir
India
October 2014
Loic Horatius
Rue de Château Villeneuve
Saint Georges
France
February 2018
Haji Sharif
Kando Khan Bozdar Village
Sindh
Pakistan
September 2010
Jeff and Tracey Waters
Staines-Upon-Thames
Surrey
UK
February 2014
Sakorn Ponsiri
Chumchon Ruamjai Community
Bangkok
Thailand
November 2011
Vilian Sousa da Silva
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Chinta and Samundri Davi
Salempur Village near Muzaffarpur
Bihar
India
August 2007
Miryam and Wista Jacques
Gonaives
Haiti
September 2008
Johora
Chandanbaisa Village
Sariakandi Upazila, Bogra District
Bangladesh
September 2015
Margaret Clegg
Toll Bar Village
South Yorkshire
UK
June 2007
Suparat Taddee
Chumchon Ruamjai Community
Bangkok
Thailand
November 2011
Torrey Mosvold
Rancho Bauer Drive
Memorial Neighbourhood
Houston
Texas
USA
September 2017
Jameela Khan
Bemina
Srinagar
Kashmir
India
October 2014
Unnamed Boy
Gonaives
Haiti
September 2008
