The Day May Break: Chapter Two, Photographs from Bolivia

The Day May Break is an ongoing global series portraying people and animals that have been impacted by environmental degradation and destruction. Chapter Two was photographed in Bolivia in 2022.

The people in the photos have all been badly affected by climate change, from extreme droughts to floods that destroyed their homes and livelihoods. The photographs were taken at La Senda Verde Animal Sanctuary where the animals live are almost all long-term rescues, victims of everything from habitat destruction to wildlife trafficking. These animals can never be released back into the wild. As a result, they are mostly habituated to humans, and so it was safe for strangers to be close to them, photographed in the same frame at the same time.

The fog is symbolic of a natural world now rapidly fading from view. Created by fog machines on location, it is also an echo of the smoke from wildfires, intensified by climate change, devastating so much of the planet. However, in spite of their loss, these people and animals are the survivors. And therein lies hope and possibility.

“A landmark body of work by one of photography’s great environmental champions. Showing how deeply our fates are intertwined, Brandt portrays people and animals together, causing us to reflect on the real-life consequences of climate change. Channeling his outrage into quiet determination, the result is a portrait of us all, at a critical moment in the Anthropocene.” — Phillip Prodger,  Curator, Author, Photo historian, Former Head of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, London