- Action
- Exhibitions
- Activism
This series shows some of the devastated natural and urban landscapes I have encountered on my journeys to document the aftermath of extreme ‘mega-fires’ around the world. From these ghostly charred remains and distorted surfaces we get a visceral sense of how the global climate emergency creates terrifying infernos that could threaten our very existence on this planet.
Bushfires are not unusual and are frequently part of a natural ecological cycle, as many of these forests evolved alongside fire. But, fuelled by warmer, drier conditions and an overabundance of parched vegetation, there is an increasing frequency of firestorms that burn more ferociously, consuming nearly everything in their path. The intensity and size of the conflagration leads to the creation of its own weather system which, trapping heat and generating strong winds, fireballs and lightning strikes becomes unstoppable.
In these high severity burns, shrubs and stumps are reduced to ash, the soil itself changes and even beneath the ground tree roots are burned. The resulting ‘moonscapes’ can take many years to regenerate.
Climate change is the main culprit in increasing the intensity of these fires but it has not acted alone. A long history of ignoring the advice of indigenous communities and suppressing natural fire, the kind needed to keep forests healthy, has made the problem much worse.
Melted aluminium from car wheels.
The home of Pam Sweeney
Cobargo
New South Wales
Australia
January 2020
Files in a storage container
The home of Dan Wilson
Okanagan Indian Band reserve
British Columbia
Canada
October 2021
Imprint left by a painting
The home of Maria Petala and Giannis Pappavasiliou
Asklipoio Village
Rhodes
Greece
August 2023
