A World Without Us

Ella Morton speaks to Nilofer Khan about the accelerating deterioration of the Northern landscapes, and how she uses analogue practices to depict her perspective.

- Ella Morton

Towards the end of Philip Pullman’s first book, Northern Lights (His Dark Materials series), Lord Asriel sacrifices Roger to release an enormous surge of energy. The bright streak of light pierces a hole in the sky, gradually expanding to unveil a parallel universe. At that moment, you, as a reader, are not only mesmerised by the ethereal beauty of the dark magic but are also terrified of the unknown world that lies ahead. Perhaps, the last few lines of the book aptly sum up what we feel about this unfolding chaos, “Behind them lay pain and death and fear, and ahead of them lay doubt, and danger, and fathomless mysteries. But they weren’t alone.”

When you look at Ella Morton’s visuals, you can’t help but draw a parallel between her work and Pullman’s magical realm. In her images, too, one feels a similar sense of palpable tension and astonishment as you stand between two worlds—yours and Ella’s. “I have always been interested in making what I see in front of me look different. Through this, I am revealing the feeling of what it is like to be there,” she says.

Where the Wild Things