Alliance Francaise Photo Prize 2015 - Climate: State of Emergency

Exhibition runs until 6th Feb and public voting ends on 9th January, 2015.

This is some of the narrative that accompanies my photographs that were shortlisted for the Alliance Francaise Photo Prize.

Climate Change is such a big (and sometimes nasty) topic that it can be easy for us to turn off and mainly ignore it. Most of us have never, or will never visit the Antartic so reading that the icecaps are melting at an unprecedented rate is hard for us to really relate to.
We don't go out to the 40ft in Dalkey, known for its great swimming, to measure the water to see if it is now 40.03ft. so hearing that the sea levels are rising, again is something we don't relate well to. And living in Ireland when we see rises in temperature we might be forgiven for celebrating... particularly if we have  had a run of bad summers....

Bearing all this in mind I decided to take a personal approach to the theme, and to identify one way that changes in the climate may be impacting on me, living in Ireland. I am not saying that my assertion about the rain in Ireland is fact, indeed I invite debate on the topic. I belive that as a Visual Artist one thing I can hope to do is stimulate debate and perhaps in some way to facilitate conversation.... and conversations once started can be very powerful.......

Title: Driving Rain

We grow up in Ireland with the expectation of "soft days" - days of persistent light rainfall when it can seem like the island is engulfed by a blanket of rain clouds. In recent years we have seen the probable effects of climate change delivering welcome warmer summers but also more intense rainfall and storms, resulting in widespread flooding across the country. These changes impact on us all and make everyday activities like driving more difficult. My series of photographs were taken during uncharacteristically heavy rain showers while driving in Ireland during August. They capture the intense and almost sinister nature of this 'new' rain and portray how an everyday activity may become so much more dangerous in the future.
Jeanette Lowe

Links:

New satellite maps show polar ice caps melting at 'unprecedented rate' - Guardian.com Environmental Network 
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/sep/01/new-satellite-maps-show-polar-ice-caps-melting-at-unprecedented-rate

What the West Coast (US) would look like under 260 feet of sea-level rise (10th Dec, 2014) - Washington Post

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/09/what-the-west-coast-would-look-like-under-260-feet-of-sea-level-rise/

What Impact will climate change have on Ireland - Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland

http://www.epa.ie/climate/communicatingclimatescience/whatisclimatechange/whatimpactwillclimatechangehaveforireland/#.VImEHiiIBSo