Dust and Shadows, 2020

Exploded Golf Balls of Mallacoota
January - February 2020

During my 5,000km drive across the southeast of Australia to document the aftermath of the Black Summer fires, I arrived in Mallacoota about two weeks after the fires had ravaged the town. Though the immediate danger had passed, the fires' ferocity devastated the landscape. The scenes I encountered horrified me, and I can only imagine the perilous journey of those at the time.

This scene was deeply symbolic: the fire had crossed boundaries, affecting spaces traditionally seen as untouched, even leisure spaces like golf courses. The charred remains of the golf balls spoke volumes about the scale of the destruction, reminding us that no part of the landscape, whether man-made, natural or naturally man-made, is immune from the effects of extreme fires. It was a stark visual representation of the complex interplay between human activity and the environment, underscoring how the fire had become an overwhelming force, reshaping the terrain.

This image is part of a broader story that I have been telling through my work—one that goes past the flames to look at the context of the fire and the intimate experience of witnessing these fires with larger global conversations about the climate crisis. The Black Summer fires were not isolated events but a pattern of increasingly frequent and intense wildfires, highlighting the urgent need for action to combat climate change.

Print Information

Available as 210cm x 297mm & 100cm x 120cm Prints

To inquire about purchasing prints, please contact me via email.

For further information on this project please contact the Studio

All images © Alan McFetridge