Abstract of the accomplished photographic work
The Caspian Sea, bordered by Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, faces an environmental crisis driven by pollution, overfishing, and climate change. Growing up on its shores, the photographer has witnessed its decline, where industrial waste and unregulated exploitation have reshaped both the natural and built environment. Fishing villages shrink, coastal infrastructure erodes, and landscapes once teeming with life now bear the scars of environmental degradation.
This project maps this transformation, capturing the interplay between living architecture and landscape. His images depict abandoned harbors, and shrinking shorelines, revealing the human and ecological toll of unchecked development. Balancing poetic visual storytelling with stark documentary realism, Caspian urges a reconciliation between nature and human intervention. It calls for a reimagining of coastal landscapes—where sustainability replaces exploitation—to prevent irreversible loss.
Description of the project you intend to pursue through the Prize
The Caspian Sea, bordered by Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan, faces an environmental crisis driven by pollution, overfishing, and climate change. Growing up on its shores, the photographer has witnessed its decline, where industrial waste and unregulated exploitation have reshaped both the natural and built environment. Fishing villages shrink, coastal infrastructure erodes, and landscapes once teeming with life now bear the scars of environmental degradation.
This project maps this transformation, capturing the interplay between living architecture and landscape. His images depict abandoned harbors, and shrinking shorelines, revealing the human and ecological toll of unchecked development. Balancing poetic visual storytelling with stark documentary realism, Caspian urges a reconciliation between nature and human intervention. It calls for a reimagining of coastal landscapes—where sustainability replaces exploitation—to prevent irreversible loss.