Traces

In 2021, I participated in an expedition aimed at photographing a remote geological formations named Ylakhan Sys and located within the Yakutsk taiga, in Russia. This location was a challenge to access. As I wandered through this vast, frigid, and seemingly untouched land, one idea struck me: there is no longer pristine nature. Even in the remotest corners, the traces of humanity are present. The composition of the air is altered, rain carries chemical compounds, satellites traverse the sky. How could I make these imperceptible traces visible through the medium of photography? I chose to illuminate these landscapes, a way to infuse them with a human touch, an artifice that made them uniquely mine. The night became my canvas. With my lamp and camera I illuminated the rocks and, crafting a visual narrative of a mineral world that seemed to belong to dreams. Night after night, this luminous ritual persisted until physical exhaustion. From those solitary nights, I retain few photographs and the sensation of experiencing a waking dream. I remember the awe-inspiring beauty of the northern lights and a profound sadness coming from the inexorable march of environmental degradation.