a mirage / sweltering heat

fire itself nowhere to be seen; a reminder of how we are all connected

what does it mean to be a wildfire sun?

beautiful, entrancing, terrifying – all at once

shouldn’t look but can’t stop looking

wildfire sun is a body of work that was born from relentlessly hot summers in the desert southwest, intensified by the presence of ever-raging wildfires.

The effects of climate change can warp the very physics of how the eye sees, changing the fabric of our interaction with nature: more beautiful, yet more grief-laden. These photographs depict not just the phenomenon of fire and light, but the tragedy of ecological disaster, and the way this demonstrates we are harming ourselves.

Amidst this, Cass harnesses a deep feeling of longing, for a future that may never come. This longing is conveyed visually, as a need to feel hope. Hope that humanity will see that its actions are destructive - while reckoning with the knowledge that a shift in consciousness is less and less likely. What this longing can achieve is increased closeness to nature; the distance between body, landscape and nature begins to collapse.

With deep empathy for the natural world, Cass acts as a translator for non-human life, viewing nature as an extension of ourselves. Her work redefines and illuminates our own understanding of the natural world. As we face this necessary paradigm shift, we must forge pathways which diverge from a human-centric prioritizing. This is a prerequisite for personal, ecological, and cultural renewal, and ultimately for continuing life on earth.

What if “nature” were not a place to visit, but rather who, and where we are?