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Oil Fields #19a, Belridge, California, USA (Detail)
‘‘Oil Fields #19a, Belridge, California, USA (Detail),’’ Edward Burtynsky, 2003, 68.5 3 86.6 cm, chromogenic print diptych, ª Edward Burtynsky, courtesy of Flowers Gallery, London/Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto.
One Earth
Visual Earth Oil Fields #19a, Belridge, California, USA (Detail) In the words of the artist: ‘‘When I first started photographing industry it was out of a sense of awe at what we as a species were up to. Our achievements became a source of infinite possibilities. But time goes on, and that flush of wonder began to turn. The car that I drove cross-country began to represent not only freedom, but also something much more conflicted. I began to think about oil itself: as both the source of energy that makes everything possible, and as a source of dread, for its ongoing endangerment of our habitat.’’ The Artist In his large-scale color photographs, Edward Burtynsky explores landscapes that have been transformed by human enterprise. He was led to this body of work under circumstances that are an apt metaphor for the subject matter itself: he took a wrong turn. While driving through northeastern Pennsylvania in search of the interstate highway, Burtynsky wound up in the town of Frackville, where he encountered a surreal landscape that had been fractured by coal-mining activity. The detour was an awakening for Burtynsky, who decided to devote his life to finding and documenting similar industrial sites all over the world. Since that time, Burtynsky has depicted the sprawling footprints of industry and the transformative impact of resource use. He has explored mineral extraction, energy, transportation and water infrastructure, manufacturing sites, and disposal facilities with the hope that his images will inspire a more sustainable approach to development. His stunning aerial photographs are alluring by design, holding our attention until we can process the sheer scale of human incursions on Earth’s surface. With each body of work, Burtynsky presents mesmerizing visions of a landscape transformed and offers a stark reminder of our collective wrong turn.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Artwork selection and curatorial statement provided by Art Works for Change. To learn more about this artist and his work, visit https://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/edward-burtynsky/.
One Earth 1, December 20, 2019 ª 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc. 447
One Earth
Visual Earth Oil Fields #19a, Belridge, California, USA (Detail) In the words of the artist: ‘‘When I first started photographing industry it was out of a sense of awe at what we as a species were up to. Our achievements became a source of infinite possibilities. But time goes on, and that flush of wonder began to turn. The car that I drove cross-country began to represent not only freedom, but also something much more conflicted. I began to think about oil itself: as both the source of energy that makes everything possible, and as a source of dread, for its ongoing endangerment of our habitat.’’ The Artist In his large-scale color photographs, Edward Burtynsky explores landscapes that have been transformed by human enterprise. He was led to this body of work under circumstances that are an apt metaphor for the subject matter itself: he took a wrong turn. While driving through northeastern Pennsylvania in search of the interstate highway, Burtynsky wound up in the town of Frackville, where he encountered a surreal landscape that had been fractured by coal-mining activity. The detour was an awakening for Burtynsky, who decided to devote his life to finding and documenting similar industrial sites all over the world. Since that time, Burtynsky has depicted the sprawling footprints of industry and the transformative impact of resource use. He has explored mineral extraction, energy, transportation and water infrastructure, manufacturing sites, and disposal facilities with the hope that his images will inspire a more sustainable approach to development. His stunning aerial photographs are alluring by design, holding our attention until we can process the sheer scale of human incursions on Earth’s surface. With each body of work, Burtynsky presents mesmerizing visions of a landscape transformed and offers a stark reminder of our collective wrong turn.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Artwork selection and curatorial statement provided by Art Works for Change. To learn more about this artist and his work, visit https://www.artworksforchange.org/portfolio/edward-burtynsky/.
One Earth 1, December 20, 2019 ª 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc. 447