Second Place Winner
From his project Such Queer Moons We Live With
Eco-anxiety often reveals itself in small, unexpected moments.
Amidst the rugged beauty of juniper, sagebrush, chamise, and manzanita, I often spot something shiny and unnatural tangled in the landscape—a Mylar balloon. Once a symbol of human emotion, the balloon drifted dozens or hundreds of miles from civilization to rest indefinitely in nature, destined to become a relic of our throwaway culture.
Mylar balloons, with their bright colors and shiny surfaces, are nearly immortal. Classified as “non-biodegradable,” they serve as a reminder of our individual failure to grasp the long-term consequences of our collective actions. Over the years, I’ve gathered dozens of them from national forests and other public lands. Like many fleeting human choices, they are meaningful for a moment then quickly forgotten, even as they endure and scar the natural world.
By reinvigorating these balloons with a fan as I photograph them, I attempt to breathe one last breath into their distorted forms. The images transform deflated, marred, banal objects into organic shapes, reflecting the tension between their commercial, synthetic origin and their unintended absorption into the wild. Once vibrant and celebratory, they now stand as ghostly remnants—silent witnesses to the passage of time and environmental degradation.
This series serves as a visual requiem, not just for the balloons, but for our planet. It invites reflection on how even small, seemingly insignificant choices leave lasting marks, engaging with the delicate balance between human desire and nature’s ability to endure.
