Mary Pearson is a photographer and a doctoral researcher in photography researching the interconnections between lines, borders, memory and place; she has a distinctive approach that combines evocations of grief, identity, and liminal spaces. Her wider work as a photographer has led her to indulge in her obsession for volcanoes, and if you’re looking for her, you have more chances to find her next to an active crater in Iceland or in Greenland than at her home in Devon. When I asked her to pick where we should go on our upcoming holiday, she didn’t skip a beat before answering Sicily. Why? Because that’s where Mount Etna is, of course (I’m fine with that; Sicily also has mummies and gelato, which are the two most important features of any holiday destination).
She is also interested in the anthropological aspects of cultural identity and the human notions of living in remote and often challenging landscapes and is in fact as fascinated by the people who live with the daily threat of volcanic eruptions as she is by the fateful nature of volcanoes themselves. I might be a little biased here because Mary is one of my closest friends, but I do believe she is ridiculously talented. She has accepted to share her work on Fagradalsfjall (Iceland) with us and to answer a couple of questions.
How/When did you first get interested in volcanoes? When did you first see one?
This is mum’s fault, in a good way. She was 10 when Surtsey1Surtsey is a volcanic island located in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago off the southern coast of Iceland which was formed in a volcanic eruption on the 14th of November 1963. was born off the coast of Iceland thanks to a submarine volcano. From then on she has been fascinated with geography—with a focus on volcanoes. That meant I grew up with a lot of atlases and books about geography and I remember being completely mesmerised by volcanoes; how something so incredibly deadly and destructive can be so beautiful at the same time.
The first volcano I ever saw was in Iceland when I was 18. The whole of Iceland is volcanic and situated on both the North American and the Eurasian tectonic plates which are essentially pulling the island apart through volcanic activity, making Iceland bigger.
Can you tell us a bit about the specific trip during which you took these pictures?
I was supposed to go to Iceland in August 2021, but as you know there were a couple of things out of my control and I ended up going in September. It was a good thing I went then because on the day I left Iceland the volcano stopped erupting and after three months, the eruption was declared over.
As I live in Devon, flying to Iceland meant travelling to London as I flew with Icelandair. There are other airlines, but they had flights every day and it was more convenient for me to go to Heathrow on this occasion.
It is about a three-hour flight to Keflavik, and then an easy journey either by car or bus to Reykjavik where I was staying. To get to the volcano, the easiest option was to hire a car.
How does it feel to be so close to an active volcano?
There are two thoughts that come to mind looking back. When I was there, I burst into tears because I could not believe what I was seeing. It was a moment I will never forget and I got to share it with one of my best friends, which made it even more special.
You cannot help but think about the destructive nature of volcanoes and the impact this very nature has on life. Fagradalsfjall is in an isolated region and as such, very unlikely to cause damage to property, but it still is an aspect that I find fascinating. The fact that it can cause so much destruction is something that I do consider.
It all looks very dangerous. Are there safety measures in place? Have you ever found yourself in dangerous situations?
Fagradalsfjall is the first volcano I have seen actually erupting. The others have all been dormant or extinct so this one was quite exciting.
As this is the only actively erupting volcano I have visited, I can only speak about Fagradalsfjall, but there were Icelandic Search and Rescue teams (SAR) everywhere, ensuring the safety of tourists. They were very quick to clear the mountains when necessary. The SAR website was fantastic and laden with information on safety and advice.
I wouldn’t say that I was in danger, but the heat was incredibly intense from the lava river and I was about 20 metres away and 10 metres above on the designated path when the lava lake burst. This kind of lava moves very quickly and is one of the reasons why SAR are everywhere. Also, about 30 minutes after reaching where we could see the crater, the Icelandic Search and Rescue team evacuated everyone off the mountain due to high levels of gas emissions and a change in wind direction. So my experience was brief but profound.
Have you met interesting people while you were chasing volcanoes?
I found the SAR teams fascinating to talk to. They have so much knowledge and experience and they have a really difficult task wrangling tourists who are not always keen to listen and adhere to safety instructions.
How do you know which pictures to keep and which to bin? How many pictures did you take on that trip? Are you planning to make a book and/or an exhibition out of them?
I still don’t send any pictures to the garbage. I probably should, but it is very rare that I delete photographs. I suppose that I am afraid of making a mistake and that is a whole other conversation!
I didn’t really take that many photographs as SAR evacuated the mountain because of high gas emissions—so I only took about 150. The gas and the heat were such that it wasn’t easy to take “good” photographs because of the intense haze.
There are lots of photographs of Fagradalsfjall in the world, and I think that mine will stay relatively private for the time being—although they are on my website.
Do you keep a list of the volcanoes that you would like to see?
There are volcanoes I would like to visit based purely on their names, for example, Popocatépetl, Cotopaxi, and Krakatau. The whole Caribbean Archipelago fascinates me, and then there is Etna—which I am encouraging you to climb with the bribe of gelato—and Mt. Fuji is an iconic volcano and one that is on the cover of lots of advertising, so I am curious to see whether it really does look like that!
I assume you need some flexibility in your travels in order for you to reach a volcano at the right time. How do you do that?
You do, which is why I don’t go very often! I would have liked to have gone to the La Palma eruption last year, but you also have to consider the implications for the region where the eruption is occurring. La Palma is not a big island and the volcano affected many locals who lost everything—so was it ethical to go when evacuations off the island were occurring? Is it something that has to be considered.
Can you tell us about your doctoral research or are you keeping it a secret until you hand in your dissertation?
I will give you some general information because research is to be shared—but as I am edging closer to finishing I need to keep some elements private. But my thesis will be available to access if and when I pass. (Fingers crossed, please!)
My research is investigating the autobiographical and autoethnographic elements of the land and how personal connections and memories can be considered through photography in relation to where I live. A lot of buzz words, I know! But essentially I am using photography to consider memories and ideas of belonging where I live, as I can trace one side of my family in this region back approximately 300 years.
Any piece of advice for people who might want to follow in your footsteps and see a volcano up close?
Do your homework. And please follow the advice of the Search and Rescue people. Also check the weather; seeing volcanoes usually involves hiking and traversing a mountain or hilly landscape. Make sure you have the correct equipment because SAR usually has more important things to do than rescuing a tourist who didn’t listen or read the advice!
To see more of Mary Pearson’s work, head over to her Instagram account or her professional website. I particularly recommend her lumen prints and the Hiraeth series, as well as her Westfjords series.
All texts ©Ms Unexpected & ©Mary Pearson. All pictures ©Mary Pearson.
- 1Surtsey is a volcanic island located in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago off the southern coast of Iceland which was formed in a volcanic eruption on the 14th of November 1963.