We write with the dirt on our fingernails

I am in the desert, being confronted with the reality that we, as a species, have irreparably damaged the land, pushing it to the brink of destruction. In the Anthropocene, where human activity has become a defining force on the planet, we have lost the ability to care for the environment. I am collecting and photographing abandoned objects in the desert as a way to document this ongoing destruction. Through this, I seek to understand the collective drive to build and overproduce, as we continue to exploit the earth’s resources. A stone, in this context, has become a symbol of our overproduction and disregard for the planet. Living in a world saturated with hyperobjects, as Timothy Morton describes, is complex. We must learn to shift our attention toward nature and its interconnected components. This project emerged during my one-week stay at the JOYA AiR residency near Vélez Blanco, Spain, in the desert. The residency library, open to all residents, offered an important resource. There, I discovered a collection of essays and photographs, including Timothy Morton’s writings on hyperobjects. Inspired by his insights, I created the photography series We Write with the Dirt on Our Fingernails, a phrase from the book, reflecting the traces of our destructive presence in the world.