Iceland was once a region of the world covered by forests but as the climate cooled, glaciers began to form and destroyed them. Around the time of human settlement in Iceland 1100 years ago, nearly 40% of these forests remained, but that number quickly dropped to less than 1% because of deforestation by vikings. The forests now covers 2% of the ground even though afforestation is in place since 100 years ago.
Icelanders believe that afforestation can be an effective way to improve and stabilize its harsh soils, help agriculture and fight climate change which has resulted in deglaciation at a rate of 100 meters per year. Scientists predict that glaciers in Iceland will disappear entirely within two centuries, resulting in an increase in volcanic activity.
This project uses double exposure not only to highlight the delicate relationship between forests and glaciers but to analyze how they resonance in photography beyond space and time. Transparency of images of forest and glacier represent percentage of area in Iceland (Left - 1100years ago, Middle - Present, Right - 200 years later ). These two very different elements have a profound impact on the Icelandic environment. It is my hope that this work gives a voice not only to the climate change crisis in Iceland, but how it can impact the global environment.