yet they are so beautiful. however, i feel wrong to think that the images
are beautiful because the stories behind are not so. we all should rethink
what we really need and only take what we need from the earth.
Exploring the Residual Landscape
Nature transformed through industry is a predominant theme in my work.
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 tailings, quarries and refineries
are all places that are outside of our normal experience, yet we partake of
their output on a daily basis.
These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence;
they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and
fear. We are drawn by desire - a chance at good living, yet we are consciously
or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success.
Our dependence on nature to provide the materials for our consumption and
our concern for the health of our planet sets us into an uneasy contradiction.
For me, these images function as reflecting pools of our times.
Edward Burtynsky
