The Phoenix Sun

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, South Africa, 2011

I arrived back in the States yesterday after a 17-hour flight from Johannesburg to learn that the Kirstenbosch Project didn’t raise enough money to qualify for funding. Disappointing? Of course, but not really surprising given the amount still needed when I was last able to get Internet access with just 30 hours left.

First, a large collective shout-out to all 24 donors whose pledges ranged from $5 to $1,250. (Big round of applause). You guys rock.

You should know that the project isn’t over. Later, when my body has had a chance to regroup after the flight and time-zone changes, I’ll begin thinking about alternate ways to reach the goal – producing a catalog of prints from Kirstenbosch. The Gardens remain vitally important centers of plant biodiversity. Outside of South Africans, most of us don’t realize their ecological significance and their beauty. The need to spread the word about Kirstenbosch remains, and I intend to do what I can to achieve that end.

Once again, thank you, all, for pledging your support. And thanks to Kickstarter for the opportunity to get arts projects funded. It didn’t happen this time, but so many wonderful projects have become realities because of Kickstarter. I plan on continuing to support Kickstarter ventures and I urge you to do the same.

I haven’t had internet access for days. I’m in Kruger National Park on my last day in Africa — for now. This country is amazing — weighed down and held back by problems, many of which are the legacy of apartheid. Poverty, drugs, HIV, corruption, environmental threats galore — that’s all here. But the number of people I met who are working to overcome these problems gives some hope. It’s impossible to separate the humanitarian/economic crisis from the environmental ones. That’s true everywhere, of course, but the links are so much more visible here.

The Kirstenbosch project (if it gets funded) must address the social/political side. I took photos in the shantytowns that will show Kirstenbosch in it’s context. The country won’t be able to maintain these important gardens in the face of a growing humanitarian crisis. What’s worse, the plants will continue to disappear in the wild if social problems aren’t addressed. Habitat is being destroyed, acid rain is fed by new coal-fired power plants (South Africa uses 40% of all electricity generated in Africa — mostly from coal), as is climate change.

So the project is changing slightly — opening up — due to conditions on the ground.

Thanks again to all those who have backed the project so far. Only 30 hours left, so please spread the word!

When people go on photo-safaris, it’s usually to capture images of large mammals like lions, giraffes, elephants, and gorillas. I understand the draw: these are magnificent animals. (Full disclosure: I spent three years diving with, photographing, and writing about sea turtles.)

But there’s a whole other kingdom out there that we often overlook: plants. Africa is brimming with an incredible diversity of plant life.

The Cape Floral Kingdom

Nearly half of all plant species found in the southern half of the continent exist on one tiny sliver of land surrounding Cape Town, South Africa. The Cape Floral Kingdom is home to an astonishing 6,200 species of plants found nowhere else on earth.

Located on the slopes of Cape Town’s Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is the heart of this unique kingdom. Only indigenous plants are grown here; in fact Kirstenbosch was established in 1913 to preserve the unique species of the Kingdom. Today, Kirstenbosch is recognized as one most the most important botanical gardens is the world.

Few people outside of South Africa have heard of this world-class treasure, and far fewer will ever get the opportunity to visit the garden at the very bottom of the African continent.

A View of the Garden

My plan is to visit Kirstenbosch and document as much of it as I can, allowing people to “visit” the gardens through the images I take, using everything from macro- to GigaPan photography.

I’ll make these images available in several ways. I’ll create a website devoted to the Kirstenbosch Gardens with the bulk of the photographs. The enormous GigaPan photos will be posted to the GigaPan gallery for exploration. I’ll also place them on Google Earth for viewing there.

I’ll print some of the best images and send them to project donors.

I’ll collect the best of the best images into a full-color bound catalog and send them to top donors.

Oh, one more thing: I plan on buying seeds from the Kirstenbosch collection and, if U.S. Customs allows, giving packets to donors so that you can experience a living part of Africa’s garden!

Thanks for reading about my project. If you like the idea, please consider passing the word on, via Facebook, twitter and other social media.

Go to the Kirstenbosch Project Page.