Troubled waters

This artistic research is rooted in personal experience. I lived for over twenty years close to the banks of a heavily polluted river, and during that time I witnessed changes in the river and its ecosystems, as well as the disappearance of species that once lived there. My aim was to create a body of work that would bear witness to these human-induced transformations. These immersive photographs draw the viewer into the heart of aquatic ecosystems, exploring our relationship with water and underscoring its vital importance.

When I began this project, I was primarily seeking to reveal the hidden side of underwater photography, a genre that often produces polished, seductive and spectacular images. Yet in the context of the ecological crisis, the exploration of degraded aquatic environments soon became more urgent. I submerged my camera in industrial sites and polluted rivers. In these murky waters, the low level of dissolved oxygen suffocates aquatic life. In many of my compositions, the damaged environment is barely visible, as though it were on the verge of disappearing altogether. These desolate expanses are bathed in wavering light that lends them a strange and haunting beauty. At times, there is almost nothing left to see. Paradoxically, this opacity becomes a means of revelation, exposing the imbalances that define our time. Urbanisation and large-scale economic development have contributed to biodiversity loss and pose risks to human health. My images thus become representations of the unconscious forces of the industrial age. The degradation of bodies of water is undoubtedly one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time.

While the project primarily focuses on ecosystem change, I have also photographed aquatic plants, salt marshes and intertidal wetlands in various regions. Despite the many natural and human-made threats they face, these environments remain remarkably resilient. Their clarity and quiet beauty remind us that the natural world can still play a central role in the way we inhabit the planet, fostering a renewed attentiveness and sensitivity to what surrounds us.