The Infinite Arctic Silence

The Arctic has a unique way of touching your senses. Traveling there is to experience and understand its indescribable immensity, the infinite silence that envelops this vast, raw land. In this untouched seascape, sailing amid blue-tinged icebergs, I found myself in a state of complete loneliness yet filled from the inside with the force of unforgiving nature in its most primitive state. The midnight sun's soft and magic light moves in a playful way across the ice of this frozen land. The deafening silence is only interrupted by the blowing of a nearby whale or by the groan of the ice as glaciers melt at incredible speed — one my main reasons for embarking on this Arctic project. I was born in a country crossed by the Equator, “The Middle of the World,” and scythed by the towering Andes. Here, the Chimborazo Volcano — the closest point from Earth to the Sun — rises into the intensely blue skies. But, just like the Arctic, climate change is taking its toll here, too, and its glaciers are retreating at an alarming rate. These regions, so distant and seemingly unrelated, in fact, underline how the Earth is intimately inter-connected: what we do at one end of the planet will affect every corner of our fragile globe. This image is part of a broader project about the Arctic. My photography, stories, and experiences aim to serve as a reminder of what is at stake. If through my photography, I can connect with a wider audience and invite them to become involved in protecting the Earth’s ecosystems and the future of our planet, then my efforts will be worth it, and my dream accomplished.