The topic "Dying coral reefs" refers to the alarming decline in the health and vitality of coral reef ecosystems worldwide. Coral reefs are diverse and intricate ecosystems that provide habitat for a wide range of marine species. These reefs also play a crucial role in protecting coastlines, providing food and income for millions of people, and supporting tourism. However, due to various human activities and environmental factors, coral reefs are facing significant threats that are leading to their deterioration. One of the main drivers of coral reef decline is climate change, particularly the increase in sea surface temperatures. When the water gets too warm, corals expel the colorful algae living within their tissues, causing them to turn pale or white, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching.
When the water gets too warm, corals expel the colorful algae living within their tissues, causing them to turn pale or white, a phenomenon known as coral bleaching. Though corals can recover from bleaching under favorable conditions, prolonged or severe bleaching can often result in their death. Another major threat to coral reefs is ocean acidification, which refers to the increase in acidity levels in the ocean due to the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
A Dialogue with CJ Clarke on "Magic Party Place"
5 Share Tweet Photographer CJ Clarke had no idea what would conspire years later when he began a simple street-documentary series recording the daily lives of people from Basildon. In ten years, he would find out for himself the growing distrust of the national government, right before Brexit took place. Majority of the residents in Basildon, along with many others, would eventually vote themselves out of the European Union as their expression of discontent -- a vote that the national government feared. "The British people have made a choice, that not only needs to be respected but those on the losing side of the argument - myself included - should help to make it work." - taken from then-Prime Minister David Cameron's resignation speech after the Brexit vote Here, we have photographer CJ Clarke's side of the story.
The series actually seems to work as an omen despite you not knowing this would happen. It was done before the vote. You began the project ten years ago. Were you surprised when UK voted itself out of the European Union?
I begun the project in 2005 because I could sense that the "average" was being over looked. The working class have been greatly photographed, but how many of these stories, projects or books deal in stereotype or in ‘extremes’? Such work reinforces the great patronising middle class attitude that the working class are only relevant and interesting if they are drug addicts, criminals or ‘salt of the earth’ types who know their place. This doesn’t reflect the reality for a majority of people who would label themselves as working class and it certainly doesn’t reflect my reality coming from and growing up in such a community.
Unlike our electoral politics and the unfair "first past the post" system, a lot of people realized that in the referendum it was "one person, one vote"—they could actually make themselves heard. And that they did. A great many people, like those in Basildon, feel ignored by Westminster politics; they feel marginalized even though they are the majority. The great failure of politics over the past decade has been its failure to properly engage with people and tackle their concerns, whether real or perceived.
While I may not have foreseen Brexit when I started the project ten years ago, I was certainly aware of how neglected the working class felt. They have been photographed an immense amount, but how many of these stories, projects and books deal in stereotype or in "extremes?" Such work reinforces the greatly patronizing middle-class opinion that the working class is only relevant and interesting if they are drug addicts, criminals or "salt of the earth" types who know their place. This doesn't reflect the reality for a majority of the people who label themselves as working class—and it certainly doesn't reflect my reality growing up in such a community.
Even ten years ago, the roots of discontent that led to Brexit were evident.
Many news and opinion pieces assume this was a terrible choice for UK. However, your series actually dwells deep into the heart of this decision -- injustice of the working class. As a local in the country, please enlighten us more about the situation.
It's important to understand what Brexit represents. Were people actually voting against membership in the EU? I'm not sure they were. That would seem borne out by the statistic that more people were Googling the term "EU" post-Brexit than before the vote.
The great failure of the political class over the past quarter century, is not to address the concerns (real or perceived) of a great majority of English people, which has lead to an ever growing chasm between politics and between the two. Brexit was the ultimate expression of this discontent. For the political class, the ‘Leave’ vote is to be feared; it is the collective snub, the people have spoken and what they are saying cannot be acknowledged: ‘we don’t need you.’
I’ve just made a film for Channel 4 news following on from my book and assessing the post-Brexit climate. I met up with a few people who feature in the book and who I haven’t seen for a few years and, in the interim, from their perspective very little has changed. Indeed, amongst some there is a feeling that things are getting worse, that we are more fragmented as a society and that we have somehow list our sense of identity and our sense of direction. Such an opinion is found in many older people and the younger generations would probably disagree but that just brings us back to my earlier point about the failure of politics over the past decades.
The book plots the erosion of this trust in politics and maps the roots of Brexit as a consequence.
What were you usually thinking when photographing the series? What were the subjects/elements/themes you were looking for?
Basildon is a new town built after the Second World War, it is a manufactured community, it’s social statistics are close to the national average. The town is largely culturally homogenous, with many of the town’s residents able to trace their roots to similar parts of London. As a result, the media coined the term 'Basildon Man' to charaticsed the residents of the town and the way in which by both left and right their vote was seen as key to electoral success.
When I begun Magic Party Place. I wanted to explore the lives, habits and environment of ‘Basildon Man’ – and Basildon women – to see what that might reveal about the state of contemporary England. I wanted to go deeper, to go beyond this media constructed name as such nomenclature belittles the subject, it is a way of objectifying the working classes and delegitimizing their opinions and aspirations.
I was looking to document life as it is lived by a majority of people - the average, the mundane mixed with moments of the extraordinary.
Political alienation runs deep. For your, how do you think does your photo series connect with the people affected?
Many people who have seen the project locally are very connected with it. It gets a reaction and makes people consider the town, their identity and maybe wider issues about the contemporary UK.
In time I will organise some form of exhibition of screening in the town and that will be a more specific forum to understand how Basildonians react to the work and how they view themselves in the current political climate.
The photographs also work as a documented work of the current social landscape. Where do you usually start off in a serious project like this?
It was always my intention to document one community in depth as a way of saying something about the whole of contemporary England. Basildon is one of the most average places in the UK so it was a good place to be able to do this. The fact that it was my home town was incidental, it just added an extra layer to the project.
Since the very beginning I have had a very developed sense of the project. What I was trying to say and where it was going. This allowed me to work on the project for so long. I wasn't ridged in my ideas - and allowed them to be formed by my experiences so that the project has an organic quality.
To ensure that this narrative had integrity I have always done a lot of research. Reports and statistics are used at the back of the book, in graphical form, to show how Basildon is representative of England as a whole. This is important, important that it not just by opinion but it is an opinion backs up my facts.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
My major influences were and are cinema, TV and theater. It started with Hitchcock and The 39 Steps when I was 13 and progressed through Powell and Pressburger's "A Canterbury Tale", Stanely Kubrick, Peter Greenaway; and later Bertolt Brecht and Dennis Potter.
As a result I came to photography quite late, comparatively, so my photographic influence is small. Still, the impact of that focused selection was extraordinarily powerful. I had three photobooks—Cartier-Bresson in India, Robert Capa: The Definitive Collection and Vietnam Inc. I didn't really know who these people were, but as an autodidact, I found out that they were well-known and their books were meant to be good. They were more than good, of course. In each case, I pulled the works apart: as books, as texts, the sequence and the images and their composition. Through them, I learned about creating a series and taking photographs. Later, I discovered Gilles Peress' "Telex: Iran" and Robert Frank's "The Americans". More defining moments. As was Peress' 'Farewell to Bosnia'. Somewhere on this journey I came across Matin Parr's The Last Resort and similarly pulled it apart trying to understand how such powerful photos were made.
As a photographer, may you share us what you do to keep growing in your craft?
This can only be achieved if you are connected with the world around you. Political and social developments. Development in media, technologies and distribution etc. I saw an interview recently with Nina Simone where she said to be an artist (in the broadest sense) is to be connected and to be political. I would agree with that I and I think that is what drives me to to keep developing.
Lastly, what's next for you? Any upcoming project you'd like to share?
For almost as long as Magic Party Place I have been working on a project on Northern Ireland called "Loyalists" and I will shortly be turning my attention back to this. It is about the loyalist community and there journey to find a sense of identity in the years following the Good Friday Agreement. A small selection of this work can be found on my website. In addition to this I have a couple of film projects currently in development.
If you've enjoyed our interview with CJ Clarke, do read our in-depth feature of his series. The book Magic Party Place was shortlisted for the 'Aperture Paris Photo First Photobook Prize 2016'.
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Acidic ocean waters make it difficult for corals and other reef-building organisms to build their calcium carbonate structures, leading to the erosion of existing reefs and hindering their ability to regenerate. Human activities such as overfishing, destructive fishing practices, pollution, and coastal development also contribute to the decline of coral reefs. Overfishing reduces the number of herbivorous species that help control algal growth and maintain the balance within reef ecosystems. Destructive fishing practices, such as the use of dynamite or cyanide, directly damage coral reefs. Pollution, including runoff from agricultural activities and urban areas, introduces excess nutrients into the water, fueling harmful algal blooms that smother corals. Coastal development often involves dredging and sand mining, which can destroy coral habitats and increase sedimentation, further threatening their survival. The decline of coral reefs has far-reaching ecological, economic, and societal consequences. The loss of coral reefs impacts the biodiversity of marine ecosystems, jeopardizing the survival of numerous species that rely on these habitats. This, in turn, can disrupt fisheries, which are a vital source of food and livelihoods for many coastal communities. Additionally, the decline of coral reefs negatively impacts tourism, as these ecosystems are often popular attractions, drawing visitors from around the world. Efforts to conserve and protect coral reefs are vital to prevent further decline and loss. This includes implementing policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and combat climate change, as well as creating marine protected areas and implementing sustainable fishing practices. Raising awareness about the importance of coral reefs and promoting their conservation among various stakeholders, including local communities, governments, and businesses, is also crucial for their long-term survival. By collectively addressing the threats facing coral reefs and taking action to protect these ecosystems, we can work towards ensuring their survival, as well as the benefits they provide to people and the planet..
Reviews for "The Dying Curse Wow: A Spiritual Examination of its Significance"
1. Sarah - 2/5 stars - "I was really disappointed with Dying Curve Wow. The plot was predictable and the characters felt flat. There was no real depth to the story, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. The writing style was also lackluster and didn't engage me. Overall, it was a forgettable read and I would not recommend it."
2. John - 1/5 stars - "I found Dying Curve Wow to be a complete waste of time. The storyline was confusing and had no clear direction. It jumped around too much and I couldn't keep track of what was happening. The characters were unlikable and their motivations were unclear. The writing was also poorly executed, with grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout. I couldn't wait for it to be over."
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - "Dying Curve Wow fell short of my expectations. The pacing was incredibly slow and it took forever for the story to pick up. The characters were underdeveloped and lacked depth, making it hard for me to care about their journey. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The potential for an intriguing plot was there, but it was not executed well. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating read."
4. Mark - 2/5 stars - "I was hoping for an exciting and gripping thriller, but Dying Curve Wow fell flat. The plot felt contrived and the twists were predictable. The suspense was lacking, and I found myself losing interest halfway through. The characters were cliché and lacked complexity. I had high expectations for this book, but unfortunately, it didn't deliver. Overall, it was a disappointing read."