When the Trees Are Gone

• Prize
  Bronze in Fine Art/Digitally Enhanced
• Photographer
  Diana Cheren Nygren, United States

This series imagines city dwellers searching for moments of release in a world shaped by climate change. I treasure the city and try to make space for quiet contemplation within it. Here, relaxed beachgoers find themselves amidst carefully composed urban settings in front of dramatic skies. They are searching without seeming to find what they are looking for. The clash of nature and city results in an absurd profusion of visual noise and little relief. The resulting images lay bare the illusory nature of my urban fantasy and the problematic nature of the future that lies ahead for humanity.