The Oldest Living Things

Sometimes you run across stories or ideas that are just so special you have to share them. In part, at least for me, to feel like I am part of an idea that I wish were my very own.  But more importantly, to do just a little bit to help nudge someone or their idea(s) a little closer to reality / completion.

Rachel Sussman, recently surfaced such an idea.  Her project to photograph The Oldest Living Things in the World
Here is an excerpt from her Kickstarter campaign:  (Which she is using to fund the below trips)

On a conceptual level, I’m developing this unique index of living organisms with exceptional longevity at a critical juncture in our collective trajectory: how will the natural world fare in the face of climate change? Part art, part science, part philosophy, I hope to tease out themes of longevity, sustainability, the natural sublime and mortality through the work.

On the practical side, I have around 10 more organisms on my list to find and photograph before turning the project into the book. Where do I need to go, and what do I want to photograph, you ask? The biggest trips include:

• Searching the Antarctic Peninsula by boat for 5,000-year-old moss
• Backpacking in Tasmania and mainland Australia in search of several clonal shrubs in ranging from 10,000 to 43,000 years old
• Visiting a sacred site in Sri Lanka for a nearly 2,300-year-old Banyan Fig tree
• SCUBA diving in Spain to find the 100,000-year-old clonal sea grass

Please consider supporting her efforts.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 at 11:04 am. It is filed under Photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.