"Where is the water?"
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Date: August 2017
Photographer: Kirsten Packer @mountain.wagtail
Ohio State Affiliation: Staff
Home Country: South Africa
Category: Places
Award: Honorable Mention
2022 International Photography Exhibition
Description: "In 2018, Cape Town (South Africa) almost became the first major city in the world to run out of water. The impending doom was labelled “Day Zero” by the media in an attempt to urge residents to conserve water. This photograph was taken at Theewaterskloof Dam, the city’s largest reservoir, on the 19th August 2017 when it was at 15% capacity. The low water level revealed a long-ago submerged forest. I wanted to create an “underwater” scene to juxtapose against Cape Town’s water crisis. I “painted” the foreground with a cool-light torch to give the scene a blue hue, while the night sky adds to the impression of being submerged and the tree skeletons add to the gloom. The yellow glow over the mountain is light from Cape Town."