Rift #26 (Heimaey Houses) by Marion Belanger

Good day collectors! It's Sara today—like Jen, I've been dreaming of an escape from steamy NYC and not unrelated, I've been long looking forward to releasing our first edition from Hey, Hot Shot! contender and honorable mention Marion Belanger. Somewhat serendipitously, we first came across her work around the same time my interest in Iceland became an obsession. Drawn by a combination of nature and culture—the promise of inimitable open spaces is incredibly persuasive and my list of favorite musicians and artists inspired by or spawned from the country is burgeoning—a visit seems an inevitable eventual.

Rift #26 (Heimaey Houses) is from her project Continental Drift: Iceland/California. Since 2006, Marion's been photographing along the edges of tectonic plates in Iceland and California—places where the earth is ever shifting, sometimes to slight and other times to dramatic effect, an innervating reminder that we're subject to the whims and wiles of the earth and Mother Nature. Marion writes: This geological boundary has no political allegiance, was not determined by wars, by financial interest, or national demarcation. It is a boundary that cannot be controlled or contained by human intervention...

The resulting images are subdued but resilient. The homes in Rift #26 (Heimaey Houses) appear fragile but bright, the crumbling earth dark but distant. The creamy palette that unites the series is a warm contrast to the cool, damp atmosphere—the water in the air is tangible but the work ultimately permeates the interior.

Marion's latest HHS! entry (submitted well before the competition deadline of August 22nd—if you're a photographer, don't delay!) caught the attention of blogger Casey Gollan, who wrote:

What's so exciting about the project (aside from the beauty of the photos themselves) is the spirit of exploration and learning things for yourself which the work embodies. Marion's images reveal the lesser-seen facets of this scientific story, and convey things I once learned in school in a richer way than any textbook could dream of. Looking at these photos, I begin to feel reality.

I would add too, that they help us feel alive.