FAULT LINE Magnitude 7.8 by Julia Fullerton-Batten

One of the world's worst natural disasters in decades resulted when major earthquakes hit south-east Turkey and the north-west region of Syria on 6 February 2023. The effects of the earthquakes and subsequent aftershocks will be felt for years to come. There remains an urgent need for aid to help the large numbers of displaced and vulnerable families.

As a fine-art photographer I immediately felt that I could help by using my art to support charity efforts in both nations, even if it might only be a tiny drop in the ocean. I decided to photograph a special project and offer affordable signed art prints; the profits will be donated to UCIM www.ucim.org.tr.

Turkish artists, actors, dancers, performers and my crew collaborated in the project. Among others, they included the famous Turkish actress Berguzar Korel and Asya, a child survivor of the earthquake. Turkish designer Bora Aksu's ethereal flowing dresses were perfect for making a poignant reference to night attire worn when the first earthquakes struck in that fateful night as all were thrown violently out of their beds and so many buried under collapsed buildings.

The models float through the air, tranquil and serene... peaceful, in marked contrast to the time the disaster happened. The images are theatrical, but playful with sinister overtones of darkness and comprise my homage to the sufferers of the earthquakes. I hope that they will be appreciated as beautiful pieces of art and will contribute to support the earthquake victims.






Julia Fullerton-Batten
Julia Fullerton-Batten is a fine-art photographer renowned for her highly cinematic visual story-telling. Her large-scale projects are based around specific themes. Each image in the project embellishes her subject matter in a series of thought-provoking narrative ‘stories' using staged tableaux and sophisticated lighting techniques.

Julia’s use of unusual locations, highly creative settings, street-cast models, accented with cinematic lighting are hallmarks of her style. She insinuates visual tensions in her images and imbues them with a mystique that teases the viewer into continually re-examining the picture; something new coming to the fore each time.

Her fine-art work is globally renowned and exhibited. She has won countless awards worldwide, is frequently portrayed in photographic journals, has published two books, is a Hasselblad Ambassador and a frequent speaker at international workshops and a juror of international competitions. Her images are on the front covers of 'A Guide to Collecting Contemporary Photography'. She has a permanent collection at the National Portrait Gallery, Musee de l’Elysee, Lausanne and the Parliamentary Art Collection, Houses of Parliament.
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