With his photographic book and exhibition, The Noise of Ice: Antarctica, Italian photographer Enzo Barracco reveals the true power and majesty of mother nature.
Antarctica, one of the parts of our planet most sensitive to global warming, holds an important place in the world’s social and political dialogues on climate change. Inspired by the legendary expedition of British polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, Italian photographer Enzo Barracco conceived of and financed a photographic expedition of his own, to discover what Antarctica might reveal about man’s relationship with nature. The results are majestic and richly textured images that are so detailed, one can almost feel the chill of the ice.
Barracco recently unveiled his book The Noise of Ice: Antarctica at an eponymous exhibition at Jacada Travel’s Explorer Lounge in Hong Kong, showcasing photographs from the project. The book and its images celebrate the beauty of Antarctica’s polar ice-caps and glacial formations while serving as a reminder of the fragility of our planet.
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“Shackleton’s story is extraordinary – imagine having to travel through such challenging climatic conditions back in those days, when equipment and technology were so basic,” says Barracco. “Shackleton showed courage, determination, and perseverance whenever he met with difficulties. He was full of optimism and never gave up. These were qualities that inspired me to follow in his footsteps and embark on an adventure to photograph Antarctica,” says the photographer, who hopes that his book will help raise awareness about climate change and protect the primordial landscapes of the poles.
“After reading Ernest Shackleton’s biography, I realised that Antarctica held the key to understanding the true nature of our delicate planet. It is wild and remote but at times very fragile. I decided to organise this expedition because I wanted to better understand this mysterious and fascinating territory,” says Barracco, who had quite a few epiphanies during his time in Antarctica.
One was when he crossed the Drake Passage, the sea between South America’s Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica, known to be the roughest and most treacherous in the world. “There was a moment when we were caught up in a prolonged storm in the middle of the Drake Passage. The waters and the winds were so wild that you could feel the ocean was in total control. When you sense the power of the elements like this, you realise how insignificant you are compared to mother nature. It was a momentous experience. Then out of this maelstrom, appears Antarctica. My first view of it came with colour, light, and wind. For a second I felt like I was on another planet.”
Another revelation came when he has propped inches away from a gigantic glacier and realised how precocious a situation he was in. “I looked up and thought to myself, ‘anything can happen in any moment. This could come crashing upon me’. I realised how real the danger was and at that point, I was pretty scared.”
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Not only did Barracco have to overcome his anxieties, he also had to endure harsh weather for hours, as his greatest challenge was ensuring perfect timing for each and every photo. “I often had to walk for miles in rain and strong winds. I waited for hours, and at times was still unsure if the conditions I wanted were going to come. You need to be really patient, but the moment arrives and the perfect shot presents itself, then all the effort is worth it.”
Barracco recalls a collector telling him how much he loved one of his works. “Little did the man know that I had stood and waited for eight hours just to capture that scene.”
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