Terra Incognita is first and foremost a journey to the end of the world, in the midst of the unsettling polar landscapes that fascinated explorers for so long. On the one hand the intriguing and mythical polar fauna, on the other the disorientating whiteness of the ice. Imagined from antiquity and then coveted by generations of explorers, the Antarctic continent remained Terra Incognita until it was first docked in 1820. Since then, its glacier cap has transmitted to us a climate archive on more than 800 000 years, revealing a new climatic era marked by human activity. Its unique fauna has not yet delivered all the secrets of its extraordinary capacities of adaptation and resistance.
Following an initiative led by France and Australia, an international treaty in 1959 dedicated the whole continent to peace and science: a unique example of international collaboration. The exploitation of resources, hunting, fishing, or even nuclear or military presence are prohibited during the renewal of the treaty, until 2048. This timeless continent represents the last utopia on Earth: to this day it is at once the only continent internationally reserved for peace and science, and the only one whose land belongs to all mankind.
Born in 1983, Guillaume Pépy lives and works in France, where he shares his time between photography and helping to solve sustainable development issues. After studying sciences and travelling down austral territories, he set himself as a photographer in 2013 to diffuse his photographic works. His pictures were awarded several international prizes (Grand Prix of Montier en Der festival in 2010, Serie prize in Namur festival in 2010, UICN GMPP Ocean photographer of the year 2016). Since 2015, his photographs are exhibited regularly in France and in Europe. His current project focuses on the relationship between people and nature, and how we impact remote landscapes.
Website: guillaumepepy.com
