Photo: Icelandic Meteorological Office via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

On Monday, December 18, a volcano erupted on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula. While it currently doesn't pose a threat to life, the eruption was larger than scientists had predicted. The pictures taken by authorities and photojournalists depict lava fountains reaching up to 98 feet high, as the glow from the eruption lights up the sky in cities several miles away.

The eruption occurred about two miles north of the town of Grindavík— 25 miles from Reykjavik. The volcanic activity was not unexpected, as it had been preceded by thousands of small earthquakes in the area. This prompted an evacuation weeks prior to the event, and alerted the authorities about the possibility of an eruption.

Iceland is no stranger to volcanic activity. In 2021, many flocked to the Reykjanes peninsula after Fagradalsfjall, a volcano that had been dormant for some 6,000 years, became active once again in March that year. A decade before that, a different Icelandic volcano, the Eyjafjallajökull, produced giant clouds of ash that grounded over 100,000 flights in Europe. Luckily, the characteristics of this eruption do not indicate that similar disruptions will occur.

“Eruptions and earthquakes are a part of our DNA, and we Icelanders are always well prepared for volcanic events,” Icelandair said in a statement. “The country’s incredible nature has given us excellent training and expertise to deal with unique situations.” While operations in Keflavík airport—the largest in the nation—had not been affected, authorities said that they will continue to asses the situation.

To keep everyone safe, the area was closed to all traffic and authorities have strongly urged people to stay away from the volcano. This is especially important given that gases from the eruption can be dangerous, and more vents could still open up along the original fissure. As the world hopes it all turns out ok for Icelanders, the images of the eruption present a mesmerizing show of fire and power from the depths of the earth.

On Monday, December 18, a volcano erupted on Iceland’s Reykjanes peninsula.

The 2023 eruption near Grandavik, Iceland, as photographed from a helicopter of the Icelandic Coast Guard. (Photo: Icelandic Meteorological Office via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

While it currently doesn't pose a threat to life, Iceland's volcano eruption was larger than scientists had predicted.

Volcano eruption north of Grindavík sometime after midnight on 19th of December. (Photo: Almannavarnadeild ríkislögreglustjóra via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

The pictures taken by authorities and photojournalists depict lava fountains reaching up to 98 feet high, as the glow from the eruption lights up the sky in cities several miles away.

Volcanic eruption in Iceland near of Grindavík, December 18, 2023, a photo from Garður, municipality Suðurnesjabær. (Photo: Steinninn via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 )

The eruption occurred about 2 miles north of the town of Grindavík—25 miles from Reykjavik.

 

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To keep everyone safe, the area was closed to all traffic and authorities have strongly urged people to stay away from the volcano.

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h/t: [CNN]

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Moyenne Island. (Photo: Jean-Francis Martin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Seychelles is a country made up of an archipelago of 115 islands off the west coast of Africa. Known for its gorgeous waters and rich tree-covered islands, it has become a popular tourist destination in recent decades. But one small island called Moyenne remains an oasis within paradise. Bought by an eccentric Englishman named Brendon Grimshaw in the 1960s, the island has been carefully conserved to be as healthy and rich as Seychelles before the tourist boom. Since Grimshaw's death in 2012, the island has become a protected national park, the smallest in the world.

Grimshaw first visited Seychelles in 1962 at a time when many African countries were becoming independent. During this time of great change, Grimshaw was working as a journalist but began looking for a new career. Buying an island seemed an appealing new project, but most were expensive. Almost by chance, he found Moyenne, a .038 square mile island off the north coast of Seychelles' largest island, Mahé. He purchased it for £8,000 and began the next great journey of his life.

The island was abandoned other than a family of local fishermen. The many trees were choked with weedy underbrush. White sand and boulders ringed the tiny island. Grimshaw and Rene Antoine Lafortune, a 19-year-old local, formed a close bond as they cleared the underbrush, cut paths, and planted trees. Today the island boasts 16,000 trees, many planted by them. They include mahogany, palm, and mango trees. “His vision was to leave an unspoiled island for future generations of Seychellois and the world,” said Suketu Patel, a friend of Grimshaw's since 1976, to the BBC. “He wanted a mini-Seychelles. He wanted to try and replicate what Seychelles and its islands were like before tourists came.”

Grimshaw spent his decades on the island working on creating a paradise. He searched for mythical treasure buried by pirates and even discovered two mysterious graves with stones reading “Unhappily Unknown.” As the Seychelles became popular with tourists, he turned down offers of up to $50 million for his tiny island. In 2009, realizing that he had no one to leave the island to, Grimshaw set up a trust with Seychelles' Ministry of Environment. The island of Moyenne became part of St. Anne Marine Park although it is its own petit park, Moyenne Island National Park.

The world's tiniest national park now houses the grave of its benefactor. Grimshaw died in 2012 and is buried alongside his father and the two potential pirates. Today the island boasts a small restaurant with local offerings and a museum about the island. Visitors—of which there are less than 50 at any given time—are dropped off by boat in shallow, clear waters. They wade in to be greeted by rich green trees, winding forest paths, and a flock of giant Aldabra tortoises which roam (and are bred on) the island.

“Personally, I don't think he was crazy,” Isabelle Ravinia from the Seychelles National Parks Authority told the BBC about Grimshaw's isolated island life. “He gave the island back to the country, which was a noble thing to do. Normally people would try to sell off the island before they die so they can obtain money to do something else. Instead, he did something incredible.”

Visitors will find something truly unique in the world's smallest national park, making them thankful it was preserved. “There's something that grabs you when you go there,” said Patel. “If you think you have a big problem, when you're on the island you realize that it's not a problem after all. Moyenne is what life should be like.”

Moyenne, a tiny island in the Seychelles, is the smallest national park in the world.

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English conservationist Brendon Grimshaw bought the island in 1962 and spent time creating a paradise.

The view from Moyenne. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)

When he died, he left the island to the Seychelles as a national park.

An Aldabra tortoise of the Seychelles. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

h/t: [BBC]

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READ: Tiny Island in the Seychelles Is the World’s Smallest National Park

Austrian photographer Wolfgang Bohusch is known for his editorial and lifestyle photography, but he still makes time for personal projects. In 2021, he began tracking the Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption in the Canary Islands, sparked by his love for the location and for geology. What followed was an adventure to see the aftermath of this natural disaster that ended with a surreal portfolio of images.

Cumbre Vieja is located on the island of La Palma on the Canary Islands. The active volcano ridge had been silent for 50 years, but in 2021 it rumbled to life once again. A little over a week after a swarm of earthquakes occurred under Cumbre Vieja, the volcano began erupting. The event lasted for 85 days, making it the longest eruption in the history of La Palma.

The effects of the volcano were dramatic. Over 1,000 hectares of land were covered by lava, which destroyed over 3,000 homes. At its widest point, the river of lava stretched out over 2 miles, and 7,000 people were forced to evacuate.

As Bohusch tracked the event from home, he became curious about the state of the island in the aftermath of the volcano. So, once the situation was under control and the airport opened up, he hopped on a plane to see what he could find.

The results speak for themselves. Bohusch artfully captured the effects of the volcano. His photographs are filled with black, powdery volcanic ash that has swallowed up much of the island. In one image, we see the front of a home engulfed in ash. The brilliant burgundy hue of the exterior provides a rich contrast to the remnants of the volcano that creep over the fence.

In another image, the roof of a car peeks out from a river of ash, almost completely submerged. Bohusch also gives a glimpse of the recovery, as we see a front loader attempting to clear a path through the black powder. As this powerful piece of machinery almost looks like a toy as makes its way through the sea of ash and attempts to make a dent in the destruction.

Bohusch's photographs are visually powerful and at first glance, without knowledge of the story, are surreal. But, once one realizes what we're looking at, they tell a bigger story about the power of nature and the devastating impact it can have on humans.

Photographer Wolfgang Bohusch traveled to the Canary Islands to photograph the impact of a volcanic eruption.

In 2021, the Cumbre Vieja eruption lasted for nearly three months and wreaked havoc on the island of La Palma.

Bohusch traveled to La Palma as soon as the airport opened up to document the aftermath of this natural disaster.

Wolfgang Bohusch: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Wolfgang Bohusch.

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The history of Italy, home to the Vatican, is historically tied to the Catholic church. So it comes as no surprise that there are an estimated 65,000 churches—or chiese—in Italy. But what may surprise you are the vast quantities of churches that have been abandoned and left to decay. Across the country, it's an all-too-common phenomenon and it's something that Dutch photographer Roman Robroek wanted to learn more about.

To do so, Robroek explored Italy from north to south and photographed 100 examples of church architecture that have fallen into decay. According to Robroek, there are at least 1,000 abandoned churches reported across the country, and the actual number may be even higher.

What we see in his photographs are stunning pieces of craftsmanship slowly crumbling. There is water damage eating away at frescoes, delicate stuccowork crushed under the weight of collapsed roofs, and nature beginning to take back these manmade structures. From small local chapels to large church complexes, Robroek's visuals are a fascinating look at this changing culture in Italy.

As the Dutch photographer explains in his essay, this abandonment isn't necessarily due to a decreased enthusiasm for the Catholic church. In many cases, it's a byproduct of a phenomenon happening across Italy—ghost towns. As young people leave smaller towns for urban centers where employment opportunities are more plentiful, villages are slowly fading into oblivion. Over time, the villages become ghost towns with a near-zero or zero population.

These abandoned churches may also be due to a lack of investment on the part of the Church. Without funds to repair or upkeep the architecture, many parishes simply cannot maintain or renovate their churches. Over time, even with the best of intentions, they may slowly fall to the wayside.

“It might seem incredible that such stunning, artful churches are in this state of decay, but it all connects to the same issues,” Robroek writes. “the lack of community and the economic desolation of an area that has long past its prime.”

Still, Robroek sees the value in exploring these decaying churches and he hopes that others will follow his lead in using them as a teaching lesson.

“Today, abandoned churches in Italy and elsewhere offer a unique glimpse into the past,” he says. “A source of reflection, perhaps, as they prompt us to think about the future. If a church, once the most important haven in the community, can become a pile of ruins, what does that say about what we hold certain today? These are the traces of the past of many communities, and if we follow them, we can see where we all came from and perhaps where we’re going.”

Twenty-five images from Robroek's Chiesa series are currently available as NFTs on OpenSea.

Chiesa is photographer Roman Robroek's exploration of the declining Italian church.

For the series, he photographed 100 abandoned churches in Italy.

These churches are often abandoned as small towns lose their populations to urban centers.

Or as natural disasters cause damage that communities cannot afford to repair.

Roman Robroek: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Roman Robroek.

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If the late, great comedian Rodney Dangerfield was still around, he might say that bugs “don't get no respect!” After all, humans are usually honored with a funeral when they pass away. Minneapolis-based Carmichael Collective decided to buck that trend and came up with these silly yet sad set called Bug Memorials. Little shrines dedicated to the fallen flies or roaches have been set up next to the place where they have deceased, such as a sidewalk or windowsill. Now, they can truly rest in peace.

Carmichael Collective website
via [cosacool]

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French artist Grgoire Guillemin must have a thing for superheroes. How else could you explain his past two sets? He first caught our attention with his remarkable retro series (which he calls “Exercices de Style”) and then he intrigued us when he used Illustrator and Photoshop to create what looked like paper-cut works. His latest digital set is called Smooth Heroes, and this time he's taken a very cool, minimalist approach. For some, love how he gives us the illusion that our superheroes are smoothly streaking across the sky.

When asked how this set differs than the rest, Guillemin tells us this: “For me, it would be rather an evolution. More personal than the “Exercices de Style,” in these works, I try to represent a subjective value of these heroes. The solitude which stands out in all of them – the power (Iron Man), some strength and some anger (Thor), the mystery (Batman), the thoughtlessness (Spiderman), or still the sadness (Silver Surfer).

“The idea is to represent superheroes with the minimum of forms, the most suggestive and to handle them like illustrators of the 1930s as A.M. Cassandre or Loupo. All this by playing on ‘chiaroscuro' (light-dark), evoking the isolation of these superheroes.”

Grgoire Guillemin on Behance

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Finding some time to yourself can be difficult in this crowded, fast-paced world, but photographer Gilles Monney has discovered the magically tranquil oasis of the mountains. Monney's series of landscape photos that highlight the meditative effects of mountainous settings, titled Solitude, feature solo subjects taking in the majestic environment that surrounds them.

The images, shot in Switzerland, are further heightened by the starry night skies shining down on the contemplative silhouettes. The night clears the light of day and the distractions that go along with it to allow people to focus on themselves and become one with nature. Overall, the series showcases some of the best aspects of landscape photography–beautiful expanses of the Earth, breathtaking perspectives, and a connection to nature that translates through the image.

Gilles Monney website

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Germany-based design student Carolin Wanitzek has created a wonderfully whimsical set called The Border that visualizes those few seconds we all experience right when we wake up from a dream. Using colored cardboard, she cut out everything from mountains and trees to skyscrapers and planes, and then photographed her dreamworld scenes in her home studio. She then photographed her actors in a larger studio, and finally combined those images together in Photoshop. Love the mix of craft, illustration and photography.

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