EVENT

This Empty World addresses the escalating destruction of the natural world at the hands of humans, showing a world where, overwhelmed by runaway development, there is no longer space for animals to survive. The people in the photos are also often helplessly swept along by the relentless tide of ‘progress’.
Each image is a combination of two moments in time shot from the exact same camera position, once with wild animals that enter the frame, after which a set is built and a cast of people drawn from local communities.

On view at Snap! Downtown February 5, 2022 - April 2, 2022
Hours: Mon - Sat., 11 AM - 6 PM

About Nick Brandt
As an accomplished director and photographer of international acclaim, Nick Brandt (b. 1964, London) shifted his focus to wildlife photography fifteen years ago, dedicating himself to capturing the natural world that was disappearing before his eyes. After a life-changing journey to east Africa, Brandt lamented how he was overwhelmed by the breathtaking beauty of the region, and then over several visits, the rapid decline across the Amboseli Ecosystem which runs along the border of Kenya and Tanzania. In response to this, Brandt co-founded the Big Life Foundation with Richard Bonham and Tom Hill.

About Big Life Foundation
The Amboseli National Park served as a backdrop to the series of photographs in this exhibition. This region is also occupied by the Maasai people who inhabit this land without protected reserve status and are one of the few remaining communities that have advocated a peaceful coexistence with local wildlife. Although the region has experienced some economic growth due to the rise in horticulture, most citizens in the region remain in extreme poverty which led to the rise in illegal animal poaching. However, the work of conservationists and non-profit organizations such as the Big Life Foundation, intent on stopping this violent activity, have successfully lowered its prevalence. Established in 2010 by Nick Brandt, Richard Bonham and Tom Hill, the Big Life Foundation protects 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem. Their approach is holistic in nature and modeled intently on community-based collaboration informed by their philosophy that “conservation supports the people and people support conservation.”