Contemporary Photography and the Environmental Debate

September 15, 2007 4:10 PM

Imaging a Shattering Earth:Contemporary Photography and the Environmental Debate.

Featuring the work of Edward Burtynsky (previously), John Ganis, Peter Goin, Emmet Gowin, David T. Hanson, Jonathan Long, David Maisel (previously), David McMillan (previously), Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison (previously), John Pfahl, and Mark Ruwedel.

Via wood s lot.

posted by homunculus (13 comments total)

There are some really great photos, but man, what a sad subject. Must continue reading.
posted by snsranch at 4:59 PM on September 15, 2007

The Maisel site is staggering
posted by chuckdarwin at 5:10 PM on September 15, 2007

We're doomed.
posted by Devils Rancher at 6:02 PM on September 15, 2007

You won't get many comments with a post like this... Thank you. This is the most important subject there is. Unforgettable and unforgivable pictures.
posted by hoskala at 7:19 PM on September 15, 2007

There are too fucking many of us. Nature will correct that in the end, but it's not going to be pretty.
posted by maxwelton at 7:56 PM on September 15, 2007

Speaking out of school a bit, but fuels and raw materials are actually pretty easily and inexpensively wrought from the earth. The profits made on these things are astronomical. One would think that it would be within reason to invest some of that capitol back into the preservation of the planet.

And some do.

And those who don't, are criminals, in my opinion.
posted by snsranch at 8:58 PM on September 15, 2007

Those impressive chromogenic prints really make an impact, but it may not be what the photographers had in mind:

Photographic Processing —
Environmental and safety issues:

Silver sulfide, EDTA, DTPA, NTA, borate (sodium tetraborate, boric acid, sodium metaborate [PDF]), octylphenol ethoxylate, potassium ferricyanide, potassium dichromate, potassium permanganate, and hydroxylated benzene.

Perhaps the medium really is the message.
posted by cenoxo at 9:05 PM on September 15, 2007 [1 favorite]

(...) And those who don't, are criminals, in my opinion.

This thread, and your comment in particular makes me think of Midnight Oil's River Runs Red.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:22 PM on September 15, 2007

Thanks for the post, homunculus.

Another photographer in this same vein is Antonin Kratochvil, particularly his book Vanishing.

There's also this related previous post (for those who didn't see it) from homunculus.
posted by salvia at 11:21 PM on September 15, 2007

It's interesting to think about what can and can't be pictured. At first I was thinking it'd be a somewhat narrow list, but looking through that list of environmental debate topics and reading the artists' stories, I was pretty impressed in how the photographers found places that embody (for lack of a better word) a pretty wide range of huge and somewhat amorphous topics, some being ones I wouldn't have thought could be covered in pictures.
posted by salvia at 11:45 PM on September 15, 2007

thanks for the post homonculus - do these even begin to scratch the surface of the environmental terrorism being inflicted on the earth?
posted by specialk420 at 1:59 PM on September 16, 2007

Devils Rancher, thanks for that link, very moving.
posted by snsranch at 4:32 PM on September 16, 2007

Reporting is nice, finding ways to curb the problems is more where it's at, as far as I am concerned. I agree with earlier commenter. The big problem is there are too many of us, and nature will see to it, through wars, epidemics, and other horrendous disasters.

posted by lamarguerite at 8:53 AM on October 1, 2007