The Echo of Our Voices: The Day May Break, Chapter Four

Photographer Nick Brandt presents his monumental series, The Echo of Our Voices, to be published as a photography book by art publisher Skira Editore in August, followed by a book release launch at a new solo exhibition of the series at Hangar Art Center in Brussels (September 19 – December 21, 2025).

The Echo of Our Voices is the fourth chapter of the celebrated series The Day May Break, an ongoing global project portraying humans and animals impacted by climate change and environmental degradation. The Echo of Our Voices contains a foreword by Syrian novelist Samar Yazbek, and an introduction by curator Arianna Rinaldo.

“Each photograph contains a rebellious cry. The images tell us, with solemn dignity: Do not avert your eyes.” – Samar Yazbek

The series was photographed in Jordan, one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. It features rural Syrian refugee families currently living there, whose lives have been seriously impacted by droughts intensified due to climate change. Living lives of continuous displacement, they are forced to move their homes up to several times a year to where there is available agricultural work, which is precariously dependent on sufficient rainfall to enable crops to grow. The photographs depict the families as “human islands” in the Jordanian desert to highlight their resilience, connection and strength in the face of adversity. The stacks of boxes upon which the families sit and stand provide pedestals for those that in our society are typically unseen and unheard. Not generals or politicians, but human beings frequently more worthy of their place in the world.


“Spread across the planet, there is a common link between the countries in which I have photographed this series so far: They all are among the countries that are the least responsible for climate breakdown. Their global carbon emissions have been tiny compared to industrial nations. Yet, like so many other poorer countries in the world, they are disproportionately harmed by its effects. The grim irony is that many people in these countries are the most vulnerable to the calamitous consequences of the industrial world’s ways.” – Nick Brandt

Brandt will officially launch the publication of the book in September with his new solo exhibition of The Day May Break series at Hangar Art Center in Brussels, September 19 – December 21, 2025.

The series has been exhibiting internationally since earlier this year, including a solo exhibition with Gilman Contemporary at AIPAD Photography Fair in New York, NY, a current museum exhibition at Cankarjev Dom in Llubljana, Slovenia, and elsewhere.

“Even in the face of such precarity, Brandt’s photographs mine the resilience and humanity necessary to withstand displacement, especially as it relates to climate change. Each composition in The Echo of Our Voices envisions its subjects as permanent rather than fleeting entities, as sturdy as islands in a vast ocean. Entire families scale rugged cliff faces and pedestals, the arid landscape unfolding behind them endlessly. Despite the desert’s seeming desolation, there’s tenderness here: an embrace, hands pressed together, an arm gently slung around a shoulder. Touch and proximity reign, as they almost always do, and it’s this sense of contrast that elevates The Echo of Our Voices beyond mere social commentary.” – Eva Baron, My Modern Met

The Echo of Our Voices was partly funded by Gallerie d’Italia Museum, Turin. A major exhibition of all four chapters of The Day May Break will open there in March 2026.


Nick Brandt (born 1964) is a British photographer whose work focuses on the impact of environmental destruction and climate breakdown on some of the most vulnerable animals and people as well as the natural world.

His early photographic series include the trilogy encompassing On This Earth, A Shadow Falls Across The Ravaged Land (2001-2012); Inherit the Dust (2016); This Empty World (2019), all photographed in East Africa. Since 2020, he has been working on The Day May Break, an ongoing global series that portrays people and animals impacted by climate change and environmental destruction. Chapter One (2021) was photographed in Kenya and Zimbabwe, Chapter Two (2022) in Bolivia. SINK / RISE, Chapter Three (2023) was photographed in Fiji, and The Echo of Our Voices, Chapter Four (2024) was photographed in Jordan. All the series are published in book form.

Brandt has had solo gallery and museum shows around the world, including New York, London, Berlin, Stockholm, Shanghai, Oslo, Paris and Los Angeles.
www.nickbrandt.com
@nickbrandtphotography
All about Nick Brandt

About Hangar Art Center
Hangar offers the experience of discovering contemporary photography, with carefully curated exhibitions, a specialised bookshop, a program of events, and a commercial gallery. Hangar’s mission is to promote and support the work of emerging and established Belgian photographers, European and international artists. The photo art center offers a living and experimental place for both artists and the visitors. Hangar is a non-discriminative art center committed to be in touch with the flow of the cultural world. The thematic diversity presented prompts the audience to engage with a wide array of world issues.
www.hangar.art
@hangar.photo

About Skira Editore
In 1928, Albert Skira laid the foundations of his publishing house. During these early years, his determination and passion led him to work with the greatest artists, from Picasso and Matisse to the surrealists. His aim was to create, akin to a Parisian Salon, a space for conversations, encounters and exchanges. The creation of these early editorial successes was the natural outcome of a shared desire to explore the mystery of art.

After nearly a hundred years, Skira remains an open house to artists, free to express themselves and to discover new ways to narrate their stories. This unique creative atmosphere leads to editorial projects of the highest quality, marked by academic rigour, interpretative audacity, impeccable standards of production and printing and originality in both imagery and text.

Today, Skira is a respected international point of reference for artistic monographs, art and culture books and in-depth catalogues. Skira stands out for the production of large temporary exhibitions that travel the world and it also collaborates with the most important museums for publications, events and boutique bookshops. At its heart, Skira is a vital network of excellence, connecting authors, curators, gallery owners and collectors. In a constant quest for knowledge, Skira offers a wide range of titles, spanning from contemporary and historic visual arts, to archaeology, photography, fashion, sport and architecture.
www.skira-arte.com
@skira_arte