Iceland

With a population of approximately 320,000 people, Iceland is largely an arctic desert punctuated with mountains, glaciers, volcanoes and waterfalls. The Island is situated astride a divergent plate boundary 'The Mid-Atlantic Ridge', on top of a hotspot presumed to be fed by a deep mantle plume. As the Eurasian and North American plates move apart approximately 10mm a year, It leads to Earthquakes, excessive eruptions, reactivations of old Volcanoes and the creation of new Volcanoes. There are over 100 Volcanoes in Iceland, leaving Icelanders at risk from eruptions of molten lava taking place at any time approximately every five years resulting in devastation of the land. Apart from the Lava itself, poisonous gases and ashes from the eruptions can lead to crop failure, killing of livestock and human deaths all around Europe. If that wasn't bad enough, there are also problems with the loss of vegetation due to wind and glacial erosion in Iceland.

Icelandic people to their credit, have a strong will to survive these unpredictable conditions and have learned to adapt and succeed using what nature has provided. Power plants harness renewable natural resources like Hydro and Geothermal power to provide heating and electricity to all the housing in the Country, leading to a sustainable, environmentally friendly way of living without the atmospheric emissions of fossil fuels. In agriculture, Iceland is self sufficient in the production of meat, dairy products, eggs and to a large extent, also productions of certain vegetables grown in specially designed tunnels and greenhouses with the added help of the Islands long hours of daylight during their short cool summers. Another one of Iceland's natural resources is its surrounding Sea which is amongst the cleanest and pollution free in the world. With the continental shelf around the Island where the gulf stream and the cold nutrient currents from the Arctic meet, offers favourable conditions for various kinds of marine life and rich fishing grounds for consumption and exportation.

My experience of travelling around Iceland is one of adventure and excitement. I found the Icelanders very accommodating, hardworking and friendly with a sense of humour resembling my very own Irish wit. They are proud of their heritage and how they live off the land, as well as partying hard into the small hours of the night as if to refuel for a following week of hard graft. I was overwhelmed with stories of Myths and Legends of Trolls and Seven evil Santa's that lived on a nearby Glacier, with names that would scare even the toughest of children in to being good. Every story has an origin I discovered while out hiking through the Lava fields wrapped in five layers of clothing and a heavy pair of gripped boots, trying my best not to trip on the rough ground that imitated a Sea of concrete cornflakes, I could make out Troll like structures carved out from Lava dotted across the landscape. that must have inspired a past generation to leave behind these wonderful tales.

To photograph a truth in reality I discovered that Iceland displays a narrow line between a paradox of extremes.

It is an ongoing battle to reveal which entity carries the most force, the environment, geographic turbulence surrounding the land, and the economic challenges. Or the Icelandic people who have adapted to their inhospitable conditions and strive to succeed in a life engulfed with contradictions such as Fire, Ice, Growth & Erosion.

These following images are part of an ongoing project that shows the impact of nature on society and how it reminds us of our status as guests.