River running through melting glacier in Greenland, photo by James Balog.
James Balog’s work, which focuses on the impact of climate change on the natural world, often includes images of the ocean with a powerful thalassophobic steak.
Balog’s images often depict the ocean in ways that are unfamiliar or unsettling. For example, he has photographed the aftermath of hurricanes and floods, where the water appears unnatural, turbulent and destructive.
Images of melting glaciers and rising sea levels are equally distressing, as they suggest that the ocean is becoming more vast and unpredictable. Balog’s work often conveys a sense of the unknown and the uncontrollable, which is a perfect match for thalassophobia. “The deep” is an ever-present element, as is the suggestion that the ocean is changing in ways that may be beyond our control, and constantly getting closer to us.
