France • Born in 1978

Polar Attractions
 

At the very tip of the globe, in the Svalbard archipelago located more than 1,000 kilometres from the pole itself, is the northernmost town on the planet: 
Longyearbyen. Lost in the middle of the Norwegian Arctic, it is populated by adventurers, miners and scientists, and is regulated by the two polar seasons: day 
and night. It is in remote areas such as this that global warming is most keenly felt. Since 1960, the temperature has risen by 8°C in winter and 6°C in summer. 
How is the little town holding up ? Who are these men and women on the front line of the inevitable ?
At the other extreme, in Chilean Patagonia, lies the southernmost city in the world : Puerto Williams. At first sight, it appears to be the exact mirror image of its northern sister, only in the subantarctic. The small wooden houses, which seem perched on the flanks of the mountain, provide shelter to around 2,000 
inhabitants. Once home to the Yahgan people and now a maritime base, this land is populated by fishermen, the broken-hearted and the last descendants of 
the aboriginal people. Isolated from everything, as if frozen in time, it looks at its Argentinian neighbour Ushuaia with the pride of those who live in extreme 
places and more than a little envy. The local authorities are looking to develop the tourism industry and make a small profit from a not inconsiderable windfall. 
As elsewhere, the effects of global warming are making themselves felt. Snow is becoming increasingly rare, the Beagle Channel glaciers are visibly melting, and the much sought-after spider crabs are moving further and further away from the coast in search of colder waters. 
In this photographic essay, which is both documentary and artistic in nature, photographer Axelle de Russé plays on the chromatic similarity between the 
two poles affected by climate change, stating « The darkness of the photos is intended to express the evanescence of a fragile, endangered world. I also tried to 
suggest warming and the sensation of heat using infrared to highlight what is not perceptible to the human eye by transforming the image’s colourimetry. When the picture is taken, the « hottest » points turn magenta».

JARDIN DU RELAIS POSTAL

Axelle de Russé is the 2024 winner of the Yves Rocher Foundation Photo Prize in partnership with Visa pour l’Image. She was awarded €8,000 for this work, which is on show in its entirety for the first time here at La Gacilly.