Rachel Sussman is a time traveler. For the last few years, the
American photographer has journeyed across the globe on a mission to
bring back images of the world's oldest living organisms.
In her
ongoing project, Sussman
has traveled to the primal landscapes of southern Greenland, the
timeless high-altitude Andean deserts of South America and even under
the ocean.
"[The project] is a celebration and record of our
past, a call to action now, and also a barometer of our future," she
told CNN.
Sussman began her time-traveling trips in 2004 while
visiting the island of Yakushima in Japan to see a reportedly
2,200-year-old tree. On her return to the U.S., the idea to photograph
an example of other long-living ancient species germinated and grew.
"It's been a fantastic learning experience and so unexpected," said
Sussman. "[These organisms] have never been cataloged in this way; there
isn't a global species longevity catalog."
They live where
many other species couldn't even survive, let alone thrive.
--Rachel
Sussman, photographer
Sussman's ancient organisms are
continuously living and are genetically identical individuals.
So
far, she has shot more than 25 different species of plant or organism,
each being older than 2,000 years -- "I wanted to start with the idea of
'year zero' " -- with the oldest being actinobacteria from the
permafrost of Siberia estimated to be around 500,000 years old.
After
initial research on the Internet to track her subjects down, Sussman
contacted scientists who were studying the species she wanted to
photograph.
"Nine times out of 10, they're thrilled that someone
outside of their field is interested in this esoteric work that they're
doing," said Sussman.
"Then once the word got out there, people
started contacting me."
Sussman discovered the llaretta in the
Atacama Desert -- a relative of parsley that resembles a large green
rock-- from a comment left on her blog after announcing she was going to Chile.
Video:
World's oldest living organisms
Plants like llaretta or the welwitschia in
Namibia live in extreme conditions, a common theme Sussman discovered
while tracking her subjects down.
"They live where many other
species couldn't even survive, let alone thrive."
Her next trip
will take her to the coast of Spain, where she'll dive to see sea grass
estimated to be a mind-blowing 100,000 years old.
"That's really
one of the most exciting things about this project; you get to
encounter these things that are incomprehensible to our sense of time.
What does 100,000 years feel like? It's something we can consider for a
moment, but hard for us to hold on to it and for it to be meaningful."
As well as the metaphysical contemplations evoked by her pictures,
there is an environmental message from her work. Many of the organisms
she has photographed are not in protected areas or are in places
experiencing a potentially damaging change in climate.
"It
really varies, from really well protected to being not protected at all
and having some sense of peril in fact. In some cases like the Siberian
bacteria ... it lives in the permafrost. But if the permafrost isn't
permanent, it's a climate change issue and it will die.
"The
welwitschia is in national parkland, but that being said, there are
mining companies that actually operate in the park. In the U.S., the
clonal Mojave yucca and creosote are on land designated for all-terrain
vehicle use. There are fences around them, but you have people out
four-wheeling around from LA for the weekend."
With 10 more
organisms on her list to capture with her lens, Sussman would like
international recognition for each of the species she shoots.
"Ideally, I would love it if each of the oldest living
things could be afforded UNESCO designation. That's actually become a
secondary goal that's come out of the project. They really do deserve
our attention and protection."
