13 in the anthropocene.

What is it like to be 13 years old in 2024? Residing in a world that includes the climate crisis, artificial intelligence and social media, where the tempo of life is fast, erratic and nonsensical. Being thirteen is an age defined by fluctuation and confusion. It is characterized by rapid physiological and psychological change associated with risk-taking, exploring autonomy, identity, and seeking out novel experiences. In 2024, is the experience of being 13 different than previous generations? Photographer, Carine Thevenau, engages with our future people during a time of significant disruption and uncertainty. The portraits are hand-coloured. Colouring black and white photography began in the late 19th century, alongside the invention of photography and the emergence of the Industrial Revolution. As we now experience the Fourth Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence can construct and manipulate photographic projections of ourselves. Through hand-painting the portraits Carine pauses our contemporary teenagers in time, referencing past periods of shifting tides, whilst emphasising the consistent inevitability of transitional change.