Shannon Benine

Bobcat’s Glare, 2020

This series of color photographs and durational videos documents the 2020 Bobcat Fire from the perspective of my home in Monrovia, California. As the fire encroached upon the surrounding hills, I found solace in the act of photographing the event. The resulting images transform the disaster into a surreal, almost otherworldly spectacle.

The work features a series of nighttime photographs capturing the ominous orange and red glow of the fire as it creeps down the mountainside. Silhouetted palm trees and power lines frame the scene, creating a stark contrast between the natural and the man-made. The fire's glow, reminiscent of a celestial event, evokes a sense of both awe and dread.

Through these images, I explore the tension between the sublime and the terrifying. The fire, a force of nature both destructive and awe-inspiring, becomes a symbol of the fragility of our existence and the power of the natural world. The long-exposure photographs capture the movement of airplanes combating the fire, their trails of light painting across the sky. These streaks of light, indicative of a meteoric falling to earth or alien spacecraft, further enhance the otherworldly atmosphere of the images. By reframing the event as a cosmic spectacle, I invite viewers to contemplate the profound impact of such disasters and to consider our place within the larger ecological system.