Where humanity learned to settle

The Breath of First Fields

"Because I love this land, the history
and the air here."

— Kübra Elmas

The Euphrates Basin in southeastern Türkiye is where humanity learned to cultivate crops, raise animals and establish permanent settlements. The Breath of First Fields examines the history, continuity and future of this landscape through fine art photography, essays and field notes.

The project began in 2019 when Canadian visual journalist and photographer Spencer Wynn first visited the region. The broad agricultural landscape and open horizons reminded him of the Canadian prairies, a landscape with which he has long felt a connection.

The project changed direction after Wynn met Kübra Elmas, an agricultural engineer from Şanlıurfa. Her understanding of the region and experience working on the land expanded the project into a collaboration. Her essays do not describe the photographs – they sit alongside them, reflecting the perspective of an agricultural engineer whose work is closely tied to the land and the people who depend upon it.

The project is an expanding, non-linear record that balances the photography of Spencer Wynn with the independent essays of Kübra Elmas. Rather than following a fixed chronology, visitors are free to move through thematic sections and build their own understanding of the region.

This project will continue to grow as new photographs, essays and field notes are added over time.