Blood Falls

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  Bodies | 2015 - 2016

bod·y \ˈbä-dē\ n. pl. bod·ies 1. the physical structure of a person or an animal, including the bones, flesh, and organs; 2. a large or substantial amount of something; a mass or collection of something. The average adult human body is composed of approximately 65% water. Similarly, just over 70% of the planet we live on is covered in water. Of this water, approximately 97% is saltwater in oceans. Less than 3% is freshwater, and of that freshwater, about 67% remains frozen in ice caps and glaciers. The rest exists in lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater, water vapor, and precipitation. Of all the water on Earth, less than 1% is readily available for human consumption. Nonetheless, it is essential to our existence, facilitating the physical processes through which our bodies function. Without water, there is no life. Many of the earliest human civilizations developed around bodies of fresh water. While some perished as a result of drought, more recently, bodies of water have become contaminated with toxic chemicals from agriculture, industry, and the extraction of fossil fuels. Just as our hearts pump blood throughout our own bodies, all the water on Earth could be considered as part of a single massive circulatory system within a planetary body. When we poison the water, we poison ourselves. This series developed as a demonstration of the relationship between our own bodies and the bodies of water on Earth. The compositions are inspired by bodies of water that have naturally acquired extraordinary colors through geothermal activity, mineral deposits, and the growth of algae or bacteria. Each image is accompanied by a few words describing a physical experience, suggesting that there is, in fact, an intimate connection between the bodies of water on our planet, and the bodies of those who inhabit it.