WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEFANIE MOSHAMMER
For Flourish/Collapse, Stefanie Moshammer submitted a series of images that illuminate the many mirrors that exist between growth and decay in nature—and the illusory line that separates human consumption from its impact on the environment. Here, she offers a side-by-side of what it looks like when nature (including humanity) trends upwards and when, often by our own design, it falters.
A fish in the desert
where there is no water to hide
A bee gathering the nectar of flowers
with its poison inside
Sweet poison, sweet as lime
Earth and air are fragrant with decline
You said tomorrow everything is going to be a bit better
the colors are gonna be brighter
the light is gonna be shinier
and the air is gonna be whiter
Pain and pleasure, born as twins
mingling with each other since
and the fish who leaves the desert after all these years
floats into the river of tears.
This article appears in Volume 03: Flourish/Collapse of Atmos.
Nature is a delicate balance of expansion and collapse, flourish and famine, growth and decay. Have human beings permanently disrupted this cycle, throwing the wheel off its axis, or are we just paving way for the next species to thrive? Is it still possible for us to return to a point of flourishing without collapse? Explore these questions with the Extinction Rebellion, the women warriors of the Amazon, and more of our heroes on the frontlines of conservation. Featuring contributions from Sylvia Earle, Elizabeth L. Cline, Ben Toms, Sam Rock, Stefanie Moshammer, Liliana Merizalde, Kristin-Lee Moolman, Gareth McConnell, Pieter Hugo, Simon Armitage, and more.
Sweet Poison
