Paulo Rocha

Since my first walk around in Iceland, back in 2008, I had an amazing feeling coming from the absence of trees. No trees and a huge sense of space that is incredibly immersive within its tranquility. That’s why I called my little project: “where trees don’t go”. Though my little project became bigger… I got addicted, as many do, and kept returning year after year. Away from the tourist crowded paths, Iceland is a wide empty natural world. It’s the Moon and it´s Mars, it’s ice and fire, it’s the world of elves and trolls, it’s a winter wonderland.

Though, Iceland is also rude. Once a guide told me “here in Iceland, nature always wants to kill you”. I keep track of the weather carefully and when I travel around with my daughter we keep saying: “we could easily die here”. I have talked to many people and all have old or new stories of missing people. There’s no place to shelter and no resources to build one. I love storms, I feel fear but I love it, I feel that sense of respect for the power of nature.