The Floor of Ancient Seas
Photographer: Matt Hocking
Matt Hocking FRSA is a visionary creative and founder of Leap, a pioneering B Corp design and impact agency. With a deep commitment to sustainability, Matt blends design thinking with ethical strategy to drive positive change across sectors, from ocean conservation to space innovation.
As a mentor with A Band of Brothers, he empowers young men through personal growth and purpose-led guidance. Known for his warmth, ingenuity, and expansive network, Matt brings joy, clarity, and impact to every collaboration.
The Floor of Ancient Seas, Sinai Desert
£150 - A3 giclée print
£200 Framing and mounted
Hi, I’m Matt Hocking, a planet-centred creative from Cornwall.
The image I chose is called The Floor of Ancient Seas. I took it in the Sinai Desert back in 2007. What you see here really is the floor of ancient seas, not just one, and not just thousands of years ago, but the legacy of oceans that rose and fell over hundreds of millions of years.
While in Sinai with Danny Schmulveitch founder of Makad Trust, we worked alongside the Jebeliya, a Bedouin tribe known as the mountain people. Unlike most Bedouin, they’re thought to descend from Roman soldiers sent by Emperor Justinian. They have deep knowledge of the mountains, unique traditions like wishing rocks, and cultivate gardens or bustans, to survive the arid desert.
But life there is becoming ever harder. Drought, a changing climate, and heavy use of underground aquifers mean the water table has dropped, and many wells have run dry. Each well has a guardian family, and through the Makhad Trust funds are raised to help restore them.
As the Bedouin say, “Water is Life — without water we are nothing.”
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