|
|
| The Happenings Feature - A new monthly story about a Brooklyn event that is extra special! |
|
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky
by Mark D Phillips
It's not very often that photographs of man's destruction of the environment can be called "beautiful." Or that one photographer will heap praise on the
works of another photographer. But, such is the case with the new exhibit, Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky, at the Brooklyn Museum of art.
 Travelling the world in search of devastation is usually done by the photojournalist in a quest to show news. Not so with the work of Edward Burtynsky.
His images are not a political statement nor are they meant to celebrate technology. According to Burtynsky, they are just great visuals that he wants to
share.
Several adventurous projects have taken Burtynsky on a worldwide quest to photograph extraordinary landscapes. Most recently, he traveled to the construction site of the Three Gorges Dam,
the world's largest hydroelectric engineering project, located on the Yangtze River in the People's Republic of China. The dam is of unprecedented proportions, and it has required the
relocation of millions of people. In addition to the dam itself, Burtynsky also photographed upriver sites of mass displacement, where residents destroyed their own homes at the behest
of the government, recycling many of the materials in order to rebuild on higher ground.
As a photojournalist in 1995, I travelled to Feng Jie to document a world record high wire walk above the Yangtze River in
Qutang Gorge. Feng Jie was a sprawling city stretching from the riverbanks of the Yangtze to the mountaintops of Qutang Gorge and was our base of operations for the length of our stay.
One of the oldest towns on the river and rich with history, it was cut off from the world in a way that is hard for many outsiders to understand. From Beijing,
I travelled to Feng Jie in the same manner as Mr. Burtynsky almost ten years later, by train and boat.
The residents were aware that the dam was being built and there city would be destroyed, but in 1995, it was something that not many were really concerned
about. The "Great China Skywalk by Jay Cochrane" was created to bring attention to the Three Gorges Dam Project and the area that would be affected.
The people were untouched by Western visitors. In 1995, tourism was just gaining steam for cruises through the Three Gorges and what would be lost. In Fenj Jie,
we would walk the streets and find ourselves surrounded by residents who had never met, let alone seen a Westerner.
The town was fascinating, with buildings that had existed for centuries, and a rock staircase built to the river, that was intimidating and necessary, as the
river changed height with flooding a regular occurrence.
My photographs and memories were jolted as I viewed the images presented at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Burtynsky described his trips to me as "mind boggling." In a ten week period, between two
trips to Feng Jie in 2002, the city ceased to exist. "It looked like a bomb had gone off, levelling the town," Burtynsky said. As he walked through the ruins of the city, he would find
residents living in tents and shanties, cleaning the mortar from bricks that would be used in the construction of the new city high up the mountaintop.
 Burtynsky's images are shot with 4x5 and 8x10 cameras giving remarkable detail in the 30x40 and larger prints on display at the Brooklyn Museum exhibit. His views of China include more than
the Three Gorges Project. With unprecedented access, his fascinating images from the interior of manufacturing plants show hundreds of workers in minute detail. The photographs show
a view of Chinese industry that few have seen.
The exhibit features more than 60 prints by the Toronto-born artist including his work from mines, quarries, recycling yards, and refineries
and are presented in a way that makes you question whether the scene is revolting or interesting. As industry advanced, many changes occurred to the landscapes around them, and Burtynsky's images
have done what he intended them to be. Not only great images, and beautiful images, but images that evoke emotions as we look at the results of our actions.
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky
Through January 15, 2006
The Brooklyn Museum
Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing, 5th Floor
|
|
 |
Access our Story Archive:
William Wegman surprises and amuses
The Changing Face of South Brooklyn: Montague Street Roulette
Manufactured Landscapes: The Photographs of Edward Burtynsky
The Sopranos invade Brooklyn
150 years of tradition ends in Cobble Hill |
|
Produced by
SouthBrooklynInternet. All material ©2005. No reuse without permission. |
| | |
| Our Featured Members |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
Damico Foods
Roasting their own coffee for over 50 years, D'Amico Coffee is available online through their website. |
|
|
|
Jerard Studio
They make the cow in "Spamalot" and the pigeons for "The Producers". Learn more about this incredible Red Hook business! |
 |
|
|
|
 |
Montague Street BID
Visit the historic Montague Street Business Improvement District! |
|
