Abandonment and Nature’s Resilience
Inspired by Cal Flyn’s extraordinary book ‘Islands of Abandonment’, we have been reflecting on nature’s resilience. The book is an examination of desolation; on the one hand, it is riven with the horrors of dystopian landscapes. It is a narrative heavy with images of the destruction and decay wrought by the intervention of humankind (industrial accidents, the careless disposal of toxic materials, and the detritus of conflict). Paradoxically, though, it is also a book with optimism woven through it; the evidence of nature’s ability to bounce back, to adapt, and to overcome human neglect, demonstrates that there is hope for these abandoned places; perhaps there is hope for this planet of ours that we seem hellbent on destroying.
We launched a photography competition to win a copy of ‘Islands of Abandonment’ generously gifted by the author and we were blown away by the standard of the entries on the theme of ‘Abandonment and Nature’s Resilience’. Chris Hunt and Richard Prime made the final shortlist of two, with Chris’s image of an abandoned farm building just pipping Richard’s photograph of a Renault being swallowed by the undergrowth.
Kerry Hawes
Holly Flowers
Shipwreck
(Gythio, Greece)
Kath Davies
Rachele Greco
Simon Cookson
By turns haunted and hopeful, this luminously written world study is pinned together with profound insight and new ecological discoveries that together map an answer to the big questions: what happens after we’re gone, and how far can our damage to nature be undone?
Harper Collins
‘Druidale Tholtan’ by Chris Hunt (Winner)
Harry Watson
Harry Watson
Highly Commended (Richard Prime)
