Crude, Cataclysmic and … Manufactured? How the Horse River Fire continues to inform our upcoming monograph
To be alive on Earth, one might argue, is to participate in the global ecosystem. All living matter is insulated in a thick fur of connectivity, we exist within a network populated with codependent relationships. This knowledge is nothing new or special but it is this sense of interconnectedness between the living, the dead, the arbitrary and the dependable forces of the planet that beats in iambic pentameter at the forefront of our developing project.
True to the Last Cinder, 2016 © Alan McFetridge
On The Line documented the aftermath of The Horse River Fire in the urban service area of Fort McMurray. Now this project finds itself in an ongoing chain reaction in response to that initial spark. Fort McMurray is but one example of the impact of climate change on global fire regimes and the research the new monograph aims to accomplish extends beyond Fort McMurray. Exploring geography, history, society, and ecology, the upcoming project, a descendant from On The Line, forces us to come to terms with the fact that the world as we know it is already dead.
The developing monograph amalgamates the allegorical and scientific through documentary-style photography and a transdisciplinary research essay. Not only does it draw attention to the cultural significance of fire in mythology, tales, religion, and belief systems but it discusses the impact of megafires in the Boreal (Taiga) and changing fire regimes on ecological systems.
Again, the incredible Duncan Whyte (He/Him) has completed an outstanding design for the book while Alan McFetridge (He/Him) works closely with a team hoping to grow into a center for Ecological Research and Philosophy. If you would like to support the research, the team, or help fund the production of the new monograph follow us on Instagram and Patreon.
To keep up to date with the progress and work being generated, join our mailing list here.
Warm Wishes,
Antoinette Johnson (Any Pronouns)
On The Line, 2019 is available at The Whitechapel Gallery Bookshop, The Photographers’ Gallery Bookshop, and Claire De Rouen Books. It is available for research at the British Library.
