Lâche Pas La Patate

An ongoing project by photographer Sam Muller, Lâche Pas La Patate addresses the efforts and effects of restoring Louisiana's coast. Born from curiosity about how to live with climate catastrophe, human resilience, and the factors that tether us to place.

An ongoing project by photographer Sam Muller, Lâche Pas La Patate addresses the efforts and effects of restoring Louisiana's coast. Born from curiosity about how to live with climate catastrophe, human resilience, and the factors that tether us to place, this photo series allows the medium to be a magnet. Age, societal change, and connection to land act as a lens—at the edge of fleeting environments. Lâche Pas La Patate, titled from the Cajun phrase that translates directly to ‘don’t drop the potato’, but has come to mean don’t give up,  considers coping mechanisms, the defiant act of finding a sense of normalcy, and the stark and undeniable beauty of coastal Louisiana's landscape. How do physical attempts to combat sea level rise impact people? What practices are in place for protecting the future of the next generation and fighting destruction in the area? When humanity and nature feel out of reach, where can hope emerge?