Human activities over the past centuries has had such an impact on the Earth that it constitutes its own geological epoch: the Anthropocene. Population growth, the rise of megacities, the burning of fossil fuels and ecosystem collapse are some of the factors that contribute quantitatively to climate change and global warming. As a result of mankind’s disturbance of the biosphere, the Earth’s crust, the atmosphere and the oceans, research findings indicate that we have pushed the planet into its sixth mass extinction (the fifth extinction event happened over 65 million years ago, when the dinosaurs became extinct). This means that for the first time in history such an extinction event is caused by humans.

Settlement is a photo series that Pétur Thomsen has been working on for a few years, but it has only been exhibited in part until now. The photographer directs the lens at pieces of land that have been disturbed or transformed in one way or another, for example through land use, mining, forestry, agriculture or the construction of roads and infrastructure. The photographs are taken at night and so the photographer uses a big flash to light up the land and define the stage. This imbues the photographs with an ominous tone, a post-apocalyptic feel, as the dark night sky suggests the looming threat.

The Anthropocene and the sixth mass extinction are the subject of Pétur Thomsen’s exhibition, Settlement, at Hafnarborg, presenting new photographic works where he utilises the probing aspect of the medium of photography in order to inquire into humanity’s global impact – how we make use of and exploit the earth – as well as looking at traces of human interventions in nature.

Pétur Thomsen (b. 1973) completed his MFA degree from the École nationale supérieur de la photographie (ENSP) in Arles, France, in 2004. Prior to that, he studied French, art history and archaeology at The Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier and art photography at École supérieure des métiers artistiques, also in Montpellier. Pétur has been nominated for and received numerous awards and prizes, such as the 10th LVMH Young Artists’ Award, handed out in 2004. He was also selected by the Musée de L’Élysée in Lausanne for the project regeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow. Pétur lives and works in Grímsnes, South Iceland.