Samuel Bollendorff

The series Contaminations, which was exhibited here at Visa pour l’Image in 2018, looked at the irreparable industrial pollution that has made certain areas unfit for living beings for centuries. I came back from my travels round the world for that project a very different person, conscious of the urgency of the environmental crisis, and ready to take action.
I started to look for ways to represent climate change. We all know that images of polar bears floating on melting icebergs aren’t effective in raising awareness. They are no doubt too far removed from us. They don’t affect our personal concerns and they don’t make us change our lifestyles. And yet, within the constant stream of images we are subjected to, we see more and more disasters taking place.
When I reported on the wildfire disaster in the town of Paradise in California, I saw that, despite the constant news about what is happening to the planet, people still tend to react with disbelief and denial. What photographic language would allow the global aspect of these personal reactions to be communicated?