In the face of the world’s rapid escalation of occurrences signalling mass extinction and accelerated climate change, humans hold a unique position, as both the Earth’s greatest threat and its only saviour.
We have to look around and see the world for what it is and how we have dramatically affected the landscape, not just for humanity but for every living being on the planet, be it fish, mammal, insect or plant.
As artists, we have the opportunity to hold up a mirror to society and show people a reflection of their environmental ethics or lack thereof. Art has always been a medium for social and political change, and art in the climate crisis should be no different. Photography, in the case of “Inheritance,” stands as a witness to our deeds, as a record of our misgivings. It will remain as an archive to reflect upon, or as evidence of what went wrong. The photographs depict the world honestly, with a sense of nostalgia to entreat the viewer to look inward and reflect on their own deeds and the changes they can make in their own lives.
“Inheritance” is a nostalgic examination of our current place in nature. We believe we are above it, that we have mastered it, that we can treat our rivers, forests and landscapes however we choose because they are ours to do with as we please. But they aren’t.
Cast off into the world every day is the detritus from our lives in luxury, constantly at the expense of the planet (and even other humans). Oil, coal and other fossil fuels; clear-cutting, overfishing. We take and discard in an ever-repeating, ever-increasing manner with only one end in sight: climate catastrophe.
The good news is that we have an opportunity to fix the damage we have caused, and though we can’t bring back all the lives and biomes we’ve lost completely, we can do right by those that yet remain.
“Inheritance” looks at the damage we’ve caused, but it also offers a glimpse of hope through light and snow. It is a reminder that the damage we and our predecessors have caused does not have to be inherited. We can refuse it and become new people right now.
Winter will thaw, and spring will arrive as an opportunity to change, make better choices, and grow. Let the beautiful world we’ve inherited remain beautiful for those, be they human, flora or fauna, who come after us as well.
