Photographing only locations officially recorded as “at risk” by the Environment Agency, JC Monaghan explores the very real danger of catastrophic flooding that most of London faces and captures the infrastructure, landmarks, and historical locations that rely on man mastering nature to survive.
The Thames Barrier is one of the biggest flood defences in the world, and combined with other installations around Greater London it protects three-hundred-and-fifty square kilometres of land, four UNESCO World Heritage sites, and two-hundred-billion pounds worth of property.
The frequency that the barrier has to close to prevent flooding in the city centre has increased dramatically over time. In the 1980s the barrier had to be closed just twice, compared with 75 closures in the first decade of this century. Between December 2013 and February 2014 the barrier had to close 50 times alone.
With climate change and rising sea levels in mind JC Monaghan looks at what we’ve built on the Thames Tidal Floodplain and asks whether the illusion of permanent safety has led us to overdevelop the floodplain and endanger key infrastructure, sites of huge historical importance, and millions of people. The centre of London has flooded with some regularity throughout all of recorded history but today the threat of disaster seems remote and other more human threats dominate the headlines.