#CREATECOP29

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the idea for your project?

KYAW ZAY YAR LIN: In [Myanmar], many people are facing water scarcity. We need to protect our world from climate change. Nature is the most important thing for all of society. If we disregard and destroy nature, we may face many dangers.

BN: Was there a particular moment or experience that drove you to pursue your subject?

KZYL: When I was traveling around my country, I saw this drought. The trouble was so bad; it was an infliction of my heart. BN: What impact do you hope your work will have on the conversation around climate change?

KZYLI think my project is to make people aware of the destruction of nature in our world. Our earth is ill and its environments are broken.

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the idea for your project?

FGG: When I was in Bangkok in 2023, I was struck by the overwhelming amount of single-use plastic —bags, straws, packaging, and so much more. It made me wonder what happens to all this plastic after it’s used. Globally, only nine percent is recycled successfully, and much of it gets shipped to developing countries, where it’s burned or dumped. Recycling is something we’re taught to see as a solution in the West, but the reality is far more complicated.

BN: Was there a particular moment or experience that drove you to pursue your subject?

FGG: While I try to minimize plastic use in my everyday life, it became clear that this is a very privileged perspective. Plastic is very cheap to produce, and in a lot of developing countries, this means that it simply is the only affordable option for many small businesses. Eric and I wanted to create something out of single-use trash, to show that just because something is supposed to be “single-use” doesn’t mean it has to be that way.

BN: Did anything unexpected happen as you developed your project?

FGG: Something I did think about a lot after our shoot was what happens with all of the trash after our project ends. Luckily, Eric decided to keep some of the beautiful creations, but in the end, we did need to discard some. They ended up being trash again. The second project I created with Eric was about exactly this: creating a shoot with zero percent trash. We decided to create outfits from plants. After the shoot, those leaves were composted and the plants found a new home at a friend’s place. It felt really good to end a project without leaving a trail behind.

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the idea for your project?

LINGXI ZHANG: The idea for Beings emerged from my desire to challenge anthropocentric worldviews and to explore interspecies empathy. By creating a speculative narrative on Wu-Vo, I wanted to emphasize the interconnectedness of all life forms, envisioning a future where sustainability isn’t just about preserving the human world, but about honoring the existence and rights of all beings.

BN: Was there a particular moment or experience that drove you to pursue your subject?

LZ: When I read an article about marine animals called tunicates, I was deeply struck. They evolve not from simplicity to complexity, but from complexity to simplicity. This challenged the anthropocentric view that human beings often impose on other species. This mindset influences how we approach global ecological crises. It reinforced the need for new narratives that center on coexistence and empathy.

BN: What impact do you hope your work will have on the conversation around climate change?

LZ: I aim to open a window for people to see, understand, and become curious about nonhuman creatures. Immersing players in the perspectives of different species encourages a more equal valuation of biodiversity.

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the idea for your project?

ALBERT STEN: The project began with an exploration of historical forestry photographs from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. The images provided a glimpse into humanity’s evolving relationship with nature and sparked questions about how we record, remember, and transform the landscape. By combining generative AI with the archive, my work reflects on the interplay between technology and nature, challenging the dualism that often separates them and exploring how they fuel each other. Photography often carries an association with “deadness,” serving as a static record of a moment in time. The AI algorithms transformed this static quality, introducing liveliness and unpredictability to the images. It matched the source material’s richness with a method that brought its layers and complexities to life.

BN: Was there a particular moment or experience that drove you to pursue your subject?

AS: I began reflecting on the forest’s deep significance in Nordic culture and mythology—the forest, both as an entity and as a collective living organism. I wanted to find a way to give the archive a new life, transforming it into something that could resonate in today’s context.

BN: What impact do you hope your work will have on the conversation around climate change?

AS: The project challenges the perceived dualism between technology and nature. It invites viewers to rethink the boundaries between the natural and artificial, highlighting how human and non-human agents might collaborate for a more sustainable future. I hope to inspire a more integrated and reflective approach to environmental challenges.

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the idea for your project?

AR: Seaweed Farmers of Zanzibar came about during a trip to Zanzibar for another photo project. I heard about local women who farmed seaweed using age-old techniques and processed it into natural beauty products. In what is typically a patriarchal society, they are uplifted far beyond the expected roles of womanhood. They are the breadwinners of their families and are revered within their community. The project began with an interest in socioeconomic dynamics, which later revealed environmental issues and sensitivities. I’ve always been intrigued by intrinsic and localized farming methods—this project was exactly that. Hyper-sensitive to global temperature changes, I became acutely aware of how fragile this practice was. If women were to lose this form of income, their lives and the lives of their family members would look drastically different.

BN: Did anything unexpected happen as you developed your project?

AR: It perpetually dawned on me how positively this farming practice affected the entire community. I felt a sense of responsibility and wished to highlight the efforts of these amazing women. How much could climate change affect farming-dependent communities? How much pivots on the decisions of the industrial giants of the world? For them, the answer is everything.

BN: Were there any significant influences that shaped your work?

AR: I consumed a great deal of National Geographic growing up and was inspired by so many great journalistic photographers. In addition, I’ve spent my spare time studying plant biology and systematics, and have developed a deep respect for the natural world and its processes.

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the idea for your project?

GASTON ZILBERMAN: I contacted a friend who was conducting a thesis investigation about the trout of this lake in Bolivia. My initial plan was to stay two days, but I ended up staying over 10. Some of the world’s oldest communities are affected by climate change and industrial pollution. They’ve lived for centuries with a strong connection to the lake, but no longer have that connection now. They still call themselves “people of the lake,” which I find incredibly powerful.

BN: Did anything unexpected happen as you developed your project?Did anything unexpected happen during the creation of your project, whether in terms of the process, your perspective, or the reactions it received?

GZ: We never expected that the project would be selected for the Sony World Photography Awards. Even less did we expect what happened with the short film—it’s now being distributed internationally, and we won first prize at the Vision Film Festival in Germany and the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at DOC NYC, making us eligible for the Oscars. We have since started setting new goals, but we never anticipated the level of engagement. We’ve also been selected for the Photo Vogue Latin American Panorama exhibition next year. All of these achievements support our primary objective, which is to let the world know what is happening at Lake Poopó. This lake isn’t just dry for the Urus—it’s a loss for everyone.

BN: What impact do you hope your work will have on the conversation around climate change?

GZ: These stories help people realize the urgency of addressing the climate crisis by putting its consequences into perspective. It’s not normal for a lake of this size to disappear suddenly. I hope this project makes people reflect on what’s happening because, as humans, we often don’t believe something unless we see it.

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the idea for your project?

MÁTÉ LADJÁNSZKI: Hungary isn’t among the countries most at risk from climate change, yet it’s experiencing increasingly hotter and drier summers. When you notice the intensifying effects, like wildfires or floods in neighboring countries, it starts to feel much closer to home.

BN: Was there a particular moment or experience that drove you to pursue your subject?

ML: On a global scale, I see widespread indifference toward climate change. There’s this it’ll somehow work out mentality—people don’t invest enough effort in prevention or solutions. Politicians play a huge role in this, often breaking promises or failing to take meaningful action. This atmosphere of inaction inspired the cynical slogan, “Everything is Fine.” Using this style of propaganda posters, I created graphics to reflect this irony.

BN: What impact do you hope your work will have on the conversation around climate change?

ML: I designed the images to be thought-provoking and attention-grabbing. If they manage to make even a few people reflect on the issue, I’d consider it a success. However, I’d be especially pleased if they reach people in leadership positions, those with the power to influence our future—because I firmly believe the responsibility doesn’t lie solely with ordinary people.

BEYOND NOISE: What sparked the initial idea for your project?

ADEDOLAPO BOLUWATIFE: The initial idea for my project INVITATION TO INVADE stemmed from my experience of growing up in Lagos, where flooding is a recurring issue. Through extensive research, I discovered that improper waste disposal, particularly plastic waste, is a significant contributor to the problem. This realization drove me to collect plastic waste in my neighborhood and transform it into photographs.

I find that nature plays an integral role in shaping our behavior and perspectives. My appreciation for the environment deepened after a post-pandemic experience that led me back to my family home in 2022. INVITATION TO INVADE, like many of my other works, reflects this intersection between personal experience and environmental consciousness. The project explores the relationship between humans, plastic, and the environment—serving as both a call to action and an artistic reflection on the urgent need to protect nature. The materials were sourced from my community, and I collaborated with friends and my brother who helped bring the ideas to life. My friend sketched the concepts and also modeled for the final pieces. The use of symbolic items tied to humans, plastic, and the earth allowed me to stay metaphorical yet direct.

BN: Did anything unexpected happen as you developed your project?

AB: Many people asked if the images were AI-generated. While the work is entirely handcrafted and rooted in real materials, this reaction highlighted how striking and surreal the visuals appeared to viewers.

BN: Were there any significant influences that shaped your work?

AB: My family has been the biggest influence. We’ve always been nature-centered. For as long as I can remember, we’ve reused plastics in creative and practical ways.

Communities like Atmos, Nowness, Fair Planet, and Prazzle have also been incredible sources of inspiration. Their work and the conversations they spark remind me that art can drive meaningful change and that there’s a growing network of people deeply invested in protecting our planet. This project feels like a reflection of those collective influences: a blend of personal, artistic, and communal efforts coming together for something bigger than just me.