* Theia: 4.4 billion years ago Earth collided with a Mars-sized hypothised body named Theia. Theia came from the outer solar system, and delivered most of Earth's water, while also creating the moon (Study from the University of Munster). “Tears of Theia” is a series of black and white photos and videos about the beginning of life on earth. It is also a prequel to our ongoing series “Creating wilderness”. It is a quest for the source of life and a tribute to the omnipresent most beautiful, valuable and precious element we have on earth: water. Life on earth could not have started without it. Water's incredible mobility and freedom are evident in the huge water droplets. We call these droplets of water "Tears of Theia" because they're salty like tears and are linked to the birth of life following the violent end of the planet Theia. We call them tears for another reason as well: during the period when the University of Munster uncovered how Theia's demise brought water and, as a result, life to Earth, Anke tragically lost her sister. The Tears of Theia serve as a testament that life not only originated from Theia's impact but also endures through the presence of this water. I firmly hold onto this notion: the force with which water flows and moves, in any form, nurtures new life. “Tears of Theia” is a peek into the longue duree of the geographic history of the earth and a shed tear for the very short history of our own life on this planet.