After putting out a call to locals, Brandt selected about a dozen people to participate in the shoot.
For Fijians, the possibility of losing their homes and their cultural heritage is very real.
Read on for My Modern Met’s exclusive interview.
Serafina and Keanan on a Bed
Ben and his father Viti
What inspired this project, and how did you come up with the concept?
Many islands of the South Pacific are especially vulnerable to sea level rise.
Many are barely a few meters above sea level, and so, in time, will disappear entirely.
Ben and his father Viti
Their economies are also significantly based on the ocean that surrounds them.
This is why I ended up choosing to photograph in this region of the world forSINK / RISE.
Serafina Holding Her Brother Keanan I
Joel and Sosi
What was the most challenging aspect of this shoot?
Akessa and Maria, Behind the Scenes
Its always the elements.
Conditions outside my control.
On every previous shoot, its the weather that causes the biggest problems.
Akessa and Maria on a Sofa
This time, it was week after week of terrible visibility.
But in reality, the opposite happened.
As the shoot progressed toward May, the visibility actually got worse and worse.
Serafina Holding Her Brother Keanan I
An unseasonably massive torrential storm generated a huge amount of muddy freshwater runoff from the islands rivers.
For me, climate change is the single most important issue to ever face humankind.
Otherwise, we are sleepwalking our way to oblivion.
Joel and Sosi
Petero by a Cliff
All of the models had to undergo intense scuba training.
Can you share a bit about their personalities and how they reacted to the project?
A few of the cast were divemasters on the crew, so they needed no training.
Mika, Behind the Scenes
For the rest of the cast, it wasnt intense training.
What are you most proud of when it comes to the images?
Mika
Petero by a Cliff
Serafina at a table
Serafina, Behind the Scenes
