Ed Mumford

Ed Mumford (b.1991) is a photographer currently living and working in Los Angeles. After growing up in the UK, Ed moved to the US in 2007 and subsequently attended Parsons School of Art and Design, graduating with a BFA in photography in 2013. He moved to Los Angeles in 2015 and is currently working on commercial and fine art projects.

Strike-Slip

The San Andreas Fault runs almost the length of California, crossing 750 miles from the Salton Sea all the way up to Shelter Cove. Although it is impossible to predict earthquakes, scientists agree that the ‘Big One’ is coming sooner rather than later and will cause widespread destruction across Southern California. Although building codes have been strengthened over the years, many of the power lines, highways, and aqueducts on which the Southland are dependent will inevitably severed in an earthquake, and may take months to repair.

Having grown up in geologically benign places, I moved to LA in 2015 and was fascinated by the tension between the ideal of Southern California life and the constant threat of natural disaster. I set out to travel the length of the fault line in an attempt to gain some understanding of this dangerous landscape and our attempt to build a civilization on it. Instead of simply recording the geological evidence of the fault, the project examines the psychogeography of a landscape haunted by inevitable destruction, the folly of human endeavour, and the terror of the sublime.

To view more of Ed’s work please visit his website.