Elissavet Sikalou

This body of work explores the process of decay affecting the remaining glaciers in the Pyrenees, along the border between France and Spain. In 1850, there were fifty-two glaciers; today, only fourteen remain. It is possible that some of them have already stopped moving and are therefore no longer considered “alive.” If they continue to disappear at the current rate, it is estimated that within thirty years this unique landscape will have lost its present form forever. Such a disappearance would mean the loss not only of the landscape’s heritage, but also of an invaluable environmental archive, as the ice contains a wealth of information that can be studied.

The resulting images have been physically manipulated. Some were printed and frozen in ice, while others were scratched, torn, and re-photographed. Although this transformation is slow and seemingly bloodless, the Earth is grieving, and it is time to listen. If we can learn to feel the landscape’s pain and understand that we are all part of the same ecosystem, we may be moved to act and help prevent similar phenomena from occurring elsewhere.