Nick Brandt

At Waddington Cutot Dubai, The Echo of Our Voices marks the fourth chapter of The Day May Break, photographed in Jordan — one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. The portraits feature refugee families who fled the war in Syria and now live in Jordan, enduring ongoing displacement largely driven by the effects of climate change. Many are forced to relocate multiple times each year, following seasonal agricultural work and scarce rainfall — wherever the land still yields a harvest.

This chapter diverges from the first three, both visually and emotionally. It is a testament to connection and resilience — an affirmation that even when all else is lost, we still have one another.

The stacked boxes upon which the families sit and stand rise upward, suggesting defiance and strength. They form pedestals for those so often unseen and unheard — a visual elevation of lives lived in quiet endurance.

The Day May Break (2021–2024) is an ongoing global series portraying people and animals whose lives have been profoundly affected by environmental degradation and destruction.

Chapter One was photographed in Zimbabwe and Kenya in 2020, and Chapter Two in Bolivia in 2022. In these earlier chapters, individuals depicted have all experienced the direct consequences of climate change — from devastating droughts to floods that destroyed their homes and livelihoods. The photographs were made in sanctuaries and conservancies, where both humans and animals find refuge.

The animals featured are almost all long-term rescues — survivors of habitat loss, poaching, and wildlife trafficking. Unable to return to the wild, they have become accustomed to human presence, allowing people and animals to share the same frame safely — a quiet symbol of coexistence amid shared vulnerability.

Photographic historian Philip Prodger described the series as:

“A landmark body of work by one of photography’s great environmental champions. Brandt portrays people and animals together, compelling us to confront the real-life consequences of climate change. Channeling his outrage into quiet determination, the result is a portrait of us all, at a critical moment in the Anthropocene.”

The third chapter turns to the South Pacific, where rising oceans threaten the existence of island communities. Photographed underwater, these portraits capture individuals who embody the future realities of climate displacement — people whose homes, lands, and livelihoods will soon be claimed by the sea.