Interstitial, 2020

Pigment print

39 x 59 cm, 28 x 42 cm

If one would encapsulate the past year, it would be hard to do so without mentioning the characteristic landmarks of our time: the rise of the smartphone, sharp penetration of internet and social media, increasing awareness of man’s impact on global warming. Many have described the year 2019 as the year of protests, with people taking the streets to protest for issues ranging from inflation of prices to fights for climate justice. It is a time of rapid societal changes that has been further accelerated by technology. Social media has shaped political participation, enabling people to share opinions, connect and mobilize to take action. Though these technological advancements come at a certain price: navigating the endless barrage of information during our time of “fake news” and post-truth politics is disorientating. Likewise, our heavy interconnectedness has spawned fears of missing out and a constant need to broadcast one’s experience to the world. In turn, that raises an invisible barrier between the observer and their surroundings, detaching them from the moment itself and further abstracting the concept of climate change into the inexplicable. One may ask, whether this technological development has any effect on our understanding of the global environmental crisis and its complexity.

‘Interstitial’ was photographed during 3 climate actions in the Netherlands.