Hunting Industrial Scenes By Edward Burtynsky
- Words
- Monika Mróz
Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky creates astonishing landscapes that explore how nature is being transformed through industry.
“I set course to intersect with a contemporary view of the great ages of man.”
Travelling around the globe with his camera, Burtynsky creates a strong metaphor of the modern world’s dilemmas, in which progress and rising quality of life leave a painful trace in the environment. Consciously or unconsciously, people constantly contribute to the damage of nature, on which they are strongly dependent due to the natural sources and materials used for growing consumption. The photographer says: “I set course to intersect with a contemporary view of the great ages of man; from stone, to minerals, oil, transportation, silicon, and so on. To make these ideas visible I search for subjects that are rich in detail and scale yet open in their meaning. Recycling yards, mine tailing, quarries and refineries are all places that are outside of our normal experience, yet we partake of their output on a daily basis.”
Salt Pan #20 Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016.
Salt Pan #13Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016
Salt Pan #21Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016
Salt Pan #15Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016
Sawmills #1, Lagos, Nigeria 2016
Salt Pan #10Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016
Salt Pan #19Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016
Salt Pan #29 Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, India, 2016
Oil Bunkering #1, Niger Delta, Nigeria, 2016
All images © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto