Alliance Française Dubai is presenting a photographic exhibition, “CLIMATE: State of Emergency”, that draws attention to the changes in the Earth’s climate resulting from natural causes and the impact of human activity.
The show features dramatic images of environmental changes caused by global warming, and its implications for populations in affected areas, taken by amateur photographers from around the world. It thus highlights the need for a greater awareness of our relationship with nature and the necessity of positive interventions that could halt and even reverse these changes.
The show is the result of a photography competition organised by Fondation Alliance Française in Paris in 2015, inviting participants from around the world to submit photographs documenting their observations and experiences of climate change in their surroundings.
Selected entries were first exhibited in November at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris during the Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) hosted by France. Since then the exhibition has travelled to various countries across the world in an effort to create global awareness of a problem that affects everybody.
The winner of the competition was Bangladeshi photographer Yusuf Ahmed, whose photograph titled “Climate Victim” beautifully conveys the spirit and message of the show. His image of a Bangladeshi woman standing in the middle of swirling sea water with an empty pot on her head highlights the alarming rise in the sea level and the threat it poses to the millions of people living in Bangladesh.
The other images in the show are equally dramatic and thought-provoking. Pornchai Kittiwongsakul from Thailand has captured an emotional scene of people fleeing from their flooded neighbourhood with a few precious belongings, which include pet animals. Belgian Pierre-Yves Chaboux’s dark image, titled “Futurologie”, depicts the effect of industrialisation on the environment and the grim future that awaits us if we continue to pollute our planet.
Somennath Mukhopadhyay from India has submitted two eye-catching images. The evocatively titled “Carrying a Burden” shows a child carrying a large clay pot containing a few ounces of water standing helplessly in a vast expanse of drought affected land; and the other titled “On Water’s Edge” captures the heart-rending image of a slum dweller washing utensils with the slimy green moss covered water surrounding her hut.
Colombian Ana Patricia’s picture, “Acuaponia”, makes a powerful statement about climate change and the urgent need to address the issue, while also offering some hope for a better future. The carefully staged image depicts an arid landscape with the focus on an uprooted fruit laden plant, growing out of a fish bowl with a fish swimming inside.
Jerome Clement, president of Fondation Alliance Française, says, “When France hosted and presided over COP21 in 2015, we wanted to be involved in this major event. Hence we devoted our annual international photo competition to the issue of climate change and global warming. A hundred and five French Alliances in 43 countries participated in the contest and the best photographs selected for this show illustrate the damage caused by climate change to people, landscapes and territories. I hope these stories from around the world will contribute to raising awareness of the urgency to act now before the damage becomes irreversible.”
Well-known photojournalist Philippe Rochot was the chairman of the jury for this competition. “It was a pleasure to see hundreds of great images from around the world. The participants must have encountered many difficulties in capturing these images, but their passion, sincerity and creativity shines through in every image. By sharing their pictures, the participants have showed us how sensitive they are to the vital subject of global warming. Ahmed is a deserving winner because through his stunning and high quality picture the young Bangladeshi has reminded us that his country is in the frontline of climate change,” he says.
Jyoti Kalsi is an arts-enthusiast based in Dubai.
“CLIMATE: State of Emergency” will run at Plantation, Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach, until June 5.
