This sinister celestial world epitomises the struggle of species who have had their ancestral migration routes blocked by man-made borders.

Artificially segmenting a huge stretch of land will inevitably reduce the genetic diversity of animal populations who have been cut off from one another. Which in turn diminishes the overall survivability of the species, as inbreeding leaves their genotypes ill equipped to deal with the challenges of natural selection in the centuries to come.

Two omnipresent snakes intertwine and tie this repeating world together, forming a continuous chain-link fence. Covered in thorns and a sheen of toxic gloop, their giant eyes cast an unwelcoming glare at the bewildered families of jaguar, bighorn sheep, peccary and black bear. In an endless game of Snakes & Ladders, one misplaced paw or hoof could send an these endangered species tumbling into extinction.

Illustration of a bright blue sky kingdom filled with giant snakes, ladders, animals and fruit.
Digital illustration of panther mother and her baby making their way across a horizontal ladder.
Illustration of three sheep perched on top a ladder high up in the sky next to a giant strawberry.
Digital drawing of a bear holding a ladder u for her cubs to climb up, next to a giant square melon.
Lofty Heights · Cerulean
Repeat pattern depicting a green sky kingdom tied together by giant snakes and many ladders.
Digital illustration of a cheetah climbing down a ladder holding her two cubs next to a giant fruit.
Illustration of a family of sheep traversing up a precarious ladder hovering over a giant snake.
Lofty Heights · Aurora
Repeat pattern of a dark and gloomy sky world showing various animals climbing ladders.
Digital illustration of a family of pigs carefully walking across a horizontal ladder in the sky.
Illustration of a ram tentatively peering upwards beneath a cheetah with her cub in a stormy world.
Lofty Heights · Overcast