João Pereira de Araújo
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Submerged Portraits
Drowning World is an exploration of flooding using photography and video. My aim in this long-term project is to portray the human condition within the context of overwhelming climate events around the world. This endeavour has taken me on a creative and life-changing journey. The subject matter has fundamentally challenged my practice: over the years there has been a shift from a traditional documentary approach to one that incorporates more conceptual and metaphorical elements alongside a deepening activism.
In 2007 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 shared vulnerability that seemed to unite the people I encountered in this landscape.
Since then, I have endeavored to visit flood zones around the world, witnessing a shared human experience of catastrophe that transcends geographical, cultural and economic divides. The project now incorporates the UK (2007, 2014 and 2016), India (2007 and 2014), Haiti (2008), Pakistan (2010), Australia (2011), Thailand (2011), Nigeria (2012), Germany (2013), The Philippines (2013), Brazil (2015), Bangladesh (2015), the USA (2015, 2017 and 2018), and France (2016 and 2018).
Drowning World includes some of the poorest and wealthiest communities on the planet, all exposed to the floodwater that envelops them. In this moment the floods are a levelling factor, and people are brought together in visual solidarity.
In the Submerged Portraits series, my subjects pause and engage the camera looking out from their inundated homes and devastated environments. The pose may seem conventional, yet the context is catastrophe, and their gazes are unsettling. They are not disempowered victims: they show agency amidst the calamity that has befallen them.
Over the years of making this work the global geopolitical situation in relation to our climate emergency has become increasingly urgent. As we experience so many 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.
Chinta and Samudri Davi
Salempur Vullage near Muzaffarpur
Bihar
India
August 2007
Severine Leboeuf
Rue de Belle Place
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
France
February 2018
João Gonzanga de Sousa
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Ahmed
Khairpur Nathan Shah
Sindha
Pakistan
September 2010
Terrence Mckeen with his mother, Gloria
Black Creek
Middleburg
Florida
USA
September 2017
Kingsley Isiakpere and Edna Silas
Igbogene
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2012
Lucas Williams
Lawshe Plantation
South Carolina
USA
October 2015
Adlene Pierre
Savanne Desolée
Gonaïves
Haiti
September 2008
Abdul Ghafoor
Manghal Khan Brohi Village
Sindh
Pakistan
September 2010
Shirley Armitage
Moorland Village
Somerset
UK
February 2014
José Alcides dos Santos and Erenilce Lima e Silva
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Venusha Luxumy Vinitha
Chemin des Pêcheurs
Villeneuve Saint Georges
France
February 2018
Victor and Hope America
Igbogene
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2012
Douglas Pratt
McNeil Chapel Road
Longs
South Carolina
USA
September 2018
Joseph and Endurance Edem, with their children Godfreedom and Josephine
Igbogene
ayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2012
Florence Abraham
Igbogene
Bayelsa Stte
Nigeria
November 2012
Francisca Chagas dos Santos
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Anchalee Koyama
Taweewattana District
Bangkok
Thailand
November 2011
J.B. Singh
Jawahar Nagar
Srinagar
Kashmir
India
October 2014
Ripon Islam and Tarajul Islam
Chandanbaisa Village
Sariakandi Upazila, Bogra District
Bangladesh
September 2015
Bindeshwar Sahni
Pir-muhammadpur Village
Bihar
India
August 2007
Jeff and Tracey Waters
Staines-Upon-Thames
Surrey
UK
February 2014
Sakorn Ponsiri
Chumchon Ruamjai Community
Bangkok
Thailand
November 2011
Torrey Mosvold
Rancho Bauer Drive
Memorial Neighbourhood
Houston
Texas
September 2017
Haji Sharif
Kando Khan Bozdar Village
Sindh
Pakistan
September 2010
Hilal Ahmad Shaikh and Shameema Shaikh
Jawahar Nagar
Srinagar
Kashmir
India
October 2014
Epidiri and Samuel Godfrey
Igbogene
Bayelsa State
Nigeria
November 2012
Chinta and Samundri Davi
Salempur Village near Muzaffarpur
Bihar
India
August 2007
Miryam and Wista Jacques
Gonaives
Haiti
September 2008
Christa and Salomon Raymond Fils
Decade Village
Haiti
September 2008
Johora
Chandanbaisa Village
Sariakandi Upazila, Bogra District
Bangladesh
September 2015
Marie Miracle Andris
Marigot
Haiti
September 2008
Vilian Sousa da Silva
Taquari District
Rio Branco
Brazil
March 2015
Shazada
Kamalpur Village
Sariakandi Upazila, Bogra District
Bangladesh
September 2015
Suparat Taddee
Chumchon Ruamjai Community
Bangkok
Thailand
November 2011
Nootul and Anjuma Bibi
Chandajan Village
Assam
India
September 2014
Kimberly and Rudy Fralix
Highway 917
Mullins
South Carolina
USA
September 2018
Jameela Khan
Bemina
Srinagar
Kashmir
India
October 2014
Malek Mia, Tahomina Begun, Shamin, Tamin and Tazin
Palna Village
Naogoan District
Bangladesh
September 2015
Carrie-Ann Garner and Danny Jones
Toll Bar Village
South Yorkshire
UK
June 2007
Unnamed Boy
Gonaives
Haiti
September 2008
