The earth is made by movement. It is made by the movement of tectonic plates, water, gases, and minerals. It is made by the movement of people, and ideas, and goods. It is made by the pull of magnetic forces.
Usually, these movements happen slowly. They span geological ages. They stretch through thousands of centuries. They link generation with generation.
Sometimes, though, these movements happen quickly. They occur in seconds or minutes. They reverberate over weeks and months. They speed through years and decades.
Disasters can accelerate time. They intensify the movements that make our environments.
This project explores places that have been destroyed, and created, by geological events such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and mining disasters. It traces the imprints of mountains that move and examines the ecosystems that they generate. It uncovers world-making practices in mountainous habitats.
It charts the disappearance of towns and cities that have been buried, and tracks their transformation into new sites and spaces.
It documents the evolution of communities that have come through catastrophe.
It maps the makings of earth in motion.
Moving Mountains is an AHRC-funded fellowship led by Dr Rebecca Jarman at the University of Leeds. Earlier iterations of the project have received support from the Newton Fund, the British Council, and AHRC Language Acts.