Uncertain Homelands

Water, in abundance or in scarcity, is the central theme of Uncertain Homelands. Nora Bibel (DE) investigates the repercussions of climate change around the world, focusing on Indonesia, Namibia, and Germany. Through a combination of drone photography of landscapes, intimate portraits of people affected by human-made climate change, and interviews, Bibel creates a layered body of work that thoughtfully engages with global interconnectivity and the mutual influence of water systems.

The photographs alternate between narrative and enigmatic, abstract moments. Like an abrupt intervention, a man stands with raised arms amid scorched tree trunks in Brandenburg. There is a surreal sight of a boy in Indonesia lying in the water in a flooded living room as rainfall turned their house into a swimming pool. And a Namibian farmer looks out over the surrounding desert, where every piece of greenery is a precious asset.

The uncertainty lies in the question how our lives will change as a result of climate change. Bibel’s photographs intricately unravel the complexity of this question and show how intertwined individual biographies, global water systems, and climate policy are. Uncertain Homelands is a story about the threat to our familiar way of life, but also about the resilience and diverse adaptation strategies that people use to counter it.

With essays by Fred Hattermann, Rosa-Stella Mbulu, Bruno Merz, Sapariah Saturi, and Christiane Stahl.