Memories of the Future

This series is a meditation on art, history, and culture, focusing on locations most at risk from sea level rise.

I began this series in Venice in 2020, months before the pandemic struck. When I captured these images, the president of the United States frequently extolled the the greatness of Western culture. Walking along Venice’s canals, surrounded by magnificent buildings rich with history, I couldn’t help but agree. Yet, where I diverged was in thinking: how will we protect this place—and others like it? If anything, it is our own behavior—prioritizing extraction over preservation and respect for the natural world—that threatens this civilization.

I chose Venice as the starting point for this series because I, too, was reflecting on culture—not just Western culture, but our shared humanity, of which the West is a vital part, often unfairly vilified in the name of political correctness. We cannot separate the environment from culture, nor culture from civilization. Beyond being a meditation on how all things ascend, decay, and fall apart as part of life’s cycle, this series is a call to preserve what should not be lost too soon.

Nearly five years later, the same president who once extolled Western culture is back in office, and Europe faces elections that could elevate leaders with similar ideologies. This work asks a crucial question: for those who proclaim the greatness of their culture, what are they doing to ensure it is passed on to future generations? How can the grandeur of centuries survive if the current leadership prioritizes extraction over preservation and neglects the health of our planet?

During the height of the pandemic, as everything seemed to unravel, I degraded the photographs using the same seawater that now threatens our civilization. As I submerged the photos in salt water, each moment degraded in its own way—some slipped away quickly, while others decayed more slowly—it was like watching cancer patients wither away. As seas rise and civilizations burn, the responsibility rests squarely on this generation’s leaders to halt the spread of this cancer for the places we all hold dear. They cannot extol the greatness of culture while depleting the very resources that sustain it.


Armada


Soggiorno


Passo


L’Elegante


Cameriere


Lampada


Gondola


Pointe di Rialto


L’Abito Rosso


Visto


Trio


All content © Jake Price 2025