Through dramatic images and heart-stopping tales of facing down an Asiatic lion, embedding with a tribe of meerkats, stalking deadly vipers, and nearly getting burned alive atop a hot air balloon over a dense Amazon jungle, Mattias Klum tells the story of a planet Earth as the truly complex system it is. A masterful storyteller, he weaves humor, beauty and wonder into each talk, earning him a cult following and reminding us that what we have is worth saving.
Mattias Alexandrov Klum was born in Uppsala, Sweden in 1968. He has worked full-time as a photographer since 1986, and as a cinematographer and director on numerous film and television projects since 1994.
Mattias is internationally recognized for describing and portraying animals, plants, and natural and cultural settings in the form of articles, books, films, lectures and exhibitions. His artistic photographic language has rendered him success not only in the world of documentaries but also in the art scene.
Mattias has undertaken numerous major expeditions to Borneo, Malaysia, India, Nigeria, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guyana, Thailand, South Africa, China, Iceland, Galapagos, Ecuador, Botswana, Panama, Mongolia, Peru, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Hawaii and Antarctica, among other locations.
Awards include Medal of the 8th Grade from the King of Sweden, Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum and Goodwill Ambassador for IUCN. Mattias is a member of the Board of Trustees of WWF Sweden and a Fellow of National Geographic Society, Stockholm Resilience Centre, and The Linnean Society of London.
Currently, Mattias works with artist duo Alexandrov Klum which consists of himself and his wife and partner Iris Alexandrov Klum. Alexandrov Klum create art projects in thematics connected to environmental issues, with storytelling deriving from philosophy, science and mythology.
This talk is part of the Vital Impacts Student Speaker Series, presented in collaboration with Changemaker Talent. These compelling talks blend storytelling with award-winning imagery to bring to life the biodiversity crisis and the people and programs working toward a sustainable future.
