ROMAIN VEILLON
Luxuria: The world without us

What would happen if mankind suddenly disappears from earth? Trying to imagine the answer has fascinated people since the dawn of time. What is interesting is that our answers vary in the same time that our society changes and evolves. Regarding the many challenges we are facing today (pandemic, deforestation, pollution, global warming, armed conflicts), "Luxuria" remind us as a memento mori what could be our world tomorrow...The first thing to come to mind is that vegetation is going to spread and take back what’s his own on swallowing all human constructions. Indeed, this transformation is the most impressive and visual one that will come first. It’s not a surprise if the illustration of the word « abandon » always refer to a very old castle recovered by mold and ivy.

But that won’t be the only change. Since their first appearance, human beings had a huge impact on the planet. From restructuring the shape of the earth to changing the composition of its atmosphere. It is impossible to say precisely how much time it will take for the flora and fauna to overcome the damages made by Men. The examples of Chernobyl and the atoll of Johnston in the pacific where the American government had 12 nuclear warheads explode are nowadays the places on earth where the biodiversity is the strongest. This shows us that life will always find an extraordinary way to survive and blossom. Imagine, in 500 years, forests will be back in the state they were more than 10 000 years ago!
With this series called « Luxuria », I hope to show in a very aesthetic and graphic way a world where Mother Nature has already reclaim its heritage. To me, those images serve as some kind of Memento Mori : This is what the planet could look like if we continue to not care about the environment that surround us which will lead to our disappearance. They remind us that we all die and that everything comes to an end eventually. We are only passing through. Like a prediction of the future, the consequences of our acts are illustrated by these photographs. If Men is physically missing of these places, his presence is still tangible everywhere. And that’s this proximity with our society that interest me; this very thin line between today and a possible tomorrow. If we really are the most advanced species as we pretend to be, wouldn’t be possible to create a way of letting nature thrive in harmony with our way of life without mankind vanishing from the planet?

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