Title page of The River, a photography book by Fergus Stothart, over a dark river winding through trees
“Below the surface lies dark poetry.
In March 2020 I spent two weeks taking photos of a small portion of the Los Angeles River. Home for a community of homeless people the area was devastated by a violent flood. Lives were lost. Their shelters, their possessions, their clothes, their graves, all buried in mud. Destroyed.”
— FERGUS
A small blue cross standing in shallow water within a dark forest
Raindrops rippling across dark water lit by a warm golden glow
Diptych of a weathered blue metal safe door in leaf litter and a tree spray-painted "RIP" with a cross above a small memorial of flowers
Storm debris and tangled branches piled beside muddy floodwater
Diptych of a teal plastic spatula on gravel and a small carved wooden face among debris
A tarp-covered mound or makeshift shelter against a tree
Diptych of a pink sack and blue fabric caught in dense reeds, and a striped blanket crumpled on bare ground
A dented can and a woven slipper sitting in dark, oily mud
Diptych of white fabric floating in dark water and a single checkered flat shoe lying in dry leaves
Diptych of a plastic bag of colored markers in leaf litter and a tangled black cable encrusted on textured rock
Diptych of a pale garment draped over palm fronds and a blue plastic bag hanging from a branch
Shredded plastic bags caught in branches above a frothy, debris-strewn stream
A dark puffy jacket and pillow resting on a log beside dark water, with a toy gun nearby
An overturned shopping cart half-submerged in a dark, reflective puddle
Calm green creek winding through dense overhanging trees and undergrowth
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