On May 3, 2018, the world watched as fissures began opening along Kilauea Volcano’s East Rift Zone in Hawai‘i resulting in its largest eruption in over 200 years. Twenty-two fissures created an eight-mile lava river that cut across the island, through the heart of the Leilani subdivision and impacted many coastal vacation homes. This resulted in the exodus and displacement of over 2,000 residents and the destruction of 700 homes, farms, and businesses. This newest transformation of the Hawai’i Island created 875 acres of new land with the lava ocean entries reconfiguring and extending the Hawai’i Island’s geographic size by a mile.

I was afforded a rare opportunity to historically document the earth’s regenerative process. As the weeks unfolded, observing the sheer mass and intensity of the lava river as it advanced through subdivisions and farmlands was profound.