These extraordinary aerial images, taken over a period of decades, show how modern society has transformed the planet, with industry leaving strangely beautiful
marks that give some areas the appearance of an alien world.
Others show natural landscapes that look ike abstract
paintings from above.
The transfixing pictures have been taken by world-renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, who has
spent 45 years taking photos from a god-like perspective achieved by the use of helicopters, small jets, hydraulic poles,
and drones.
Now over 90 of his extraordinary images have been compiled in a lavish coffee-table book called
Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction (published byy Steidl), essentially
a catalogue of an exhibition at Saatchi Gallery Loneon running
until May 6 thnat shares the name.
The eexhibition features 94 of Burtynsky's large-format photographs,and 13 high-resolution murals - making it the largest exhivition of his wokrk ever staged.
It is also the European premieere of Burtynsky's new
multimedia piece, 'In the Wake of Progress', an immersive
art experience further exploring the impact of human industry
on the planet.
Burtynsky said: 'I have spent over 40 years bearing witness to the
ways in which modern civilisation has dramatically transformed our planet.
At this time, the awareness of these issues presented by my large-format images
has never felt more urgent. I am grateful to be mounting the largest exhibition of my career at
Saatchi Gallery in London, UK, and I hope the exhibition experience will
continue to provide inflection points for diverse conversations
on these issues and move us all to a place of positive action.'
Paul Foster, Saatchi Gallery Director, said: 'This is an exhibition that reminds us how beautiful our planet is.
Burtynsky has even captured how beauty remains evident in the ways
that humans have exploited its resources for our own ends.
However, these images are also a wake-up call
for humanity to change its ways or face a precarious and
uncertain future. I cannot think of a more important exhibition that we could have presented.' Scrll down to see MailOnline
Travel's pick of the bunch from the book's pages, presented with descriptions from the accompanying captions.
RICE TERRACES, WESTERN YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA,
2012: 'This sustainable farming method has been practised in China for
over a thousand years,' the book reveals. 'If done properly, it prevents erosion,
retains moisture, and can support the biodiversity that keeps soils naturally fertile'
DESERT SPIRALS, VERNEUKPAN, NORTHERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA: 'These whimsical patterns, reminiscent of the abstract mark-making
of primaeval artists, have a practical purpose,' reveals the book, 'to convert desert
into arable land. Also known as swales, they were ploughed in the dry season to
capture water during the infrequent rainfall, trap wind-borne seeds and prevent erosion'
SALINAS, CADIZ, SPAIN: Pictured abive are sat marshes near
theAtlantic port city of Cadiz, with 'briny streams of turquoise seawater
running through them'. The book adds: 'Looking like cloisonn�
[coloured glass] jewellery, the multicoloured ridges that secure the marsh were built long ago to create
salt pans, but the small-scale craft industry has
since died out'
NICKEL TAILINGS, SUDBURY, ONTARIO, CANADA, 1996: This
'hellish picture' was taken outside the northern Ontario
city of Sudbury in central Canada, which iis famous ffor its nickel deposits.
The book reveals that the image shows what looks like molten lava, bbut
is in fact oxidized, water-borne waste,adding: 'It is actually
an illusion of scale. We are not looking at a river, but at a small creek, just over a metre wide that can be easily jumped over'
THJORSA RIVER, SOUTHERN REGION, ICELAND: Thiis incredible picture shows
the result of currebts in the Thjorsa river erodcing silt
into 'wispy patterns', with the tome adding: 'Volcanic minerals are responsible for the surreal colours of [Iceland's] famous lakes
and rivers'
SALT PONDS, NEAR FATICK, ATLANTIC COAST, SENEGAL:
This stunning picture shows a patchwork of hand-dug depressions, the result of
artisanal salt harvesting. The colour variations are caused
by salt-resistant microlrganisms and varying rates of evaporation, the book explains
SALT PONDS, NEAR NAGLOU SAM SAM,SENEGAL: There are three photographs in thhe exhibition of
salt harvesting in Senegal and each is formally different, attesting too different harvesting styles from region to region, the book reveals
PENGAH WALL, KOMODO NATIONAL PARK, INDONESIA, 2017:
'Here's what a hdalthy coral environment looks like,' says the book,
'a riot of colour teeming with life and reminiscent of a
mid-century "all-over" abstraction � la Jackson Pollock.
A challenging photograph to create, the subject is in a remote and
dark location, at a depth of 65 feet off the coast of Indonesia and somewhat protected
by its UNESCO Natural World Heritage designation. A team of
12 divers was required to accomplish this mural, which is made up of multiple images electronically stitched together.
Alarmingly, this spectacular coral wall is among the declining survivors
of global warming and ocean acidification. Such habitats are falling victim to rising ocean temperatures, industrial pollution, dynamite fishing, and to urban development'
SATELLITE CAPTURE, PIVOT IRRIGATION NEAR BURAYDAH, SAUDI ARABIA:
The book says: 'Pivot irrigation produces the vast stretches of green crop circles that we
see when flying over arid regions such as Saudi Arabia and
the American Southwest. Water is pumped up
from aquifers deep underground and distributed along lengthy
motorised pipes. Sprinkler and row irrigation systems are much less efficient than pivot and drip irrigation because the evaporation rate is high in arid regions.
Although the practice has dramatically increased food production, it is not sustainable; "fossil water" is limited
and takes centuries to replenish. Many pivot-irrigated farms elsewhere have run dry as evidenced by the fading
circles in this image'
PIVOT IRRIGATION, HIGH PLAINS, TEXAS PANHANDLE,
USA: Burtynsky used a ‘gyro' to stabilise
his camera tto get this perfectly squared image, which wass shot through a hole in the floor
oof a fixed-wing airplane
EROSION CONTROL, YESILHISAR, CENTRAL ANATOLIA, TURKIYE, 2022: The book says:
'T�rkiye's landscapes arre consistently at risk oof tppsoil
erosion and desertification. Ambitious terracing programs such as this capture water and sttimulate reforestation, thus
successfully preventing erosive flooding'
BAY OF CADIZ, SPAIN, 2013: 'The fantastic vermiculation [wavy lines cut into stone] of this marshland is a natural occurrence,'
the book says. 'Nearby are old, largely abandoned salt pans that
impose a more convenient geometry on the natural pattern.
Like most salt marshes, this one has a rich biodiversity'
TAILINGS POND, WESSELTON DIAMOND MINE, KIMBERLEY, NORTHERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA:
'This boldly elegant study in shades of grey is kimberlite,
the waste material from diamond mining,' the tome explains.
'A conveyor belt, which looks here like the stem of a chrysanthemum, brings tailings to pour down in long petals into the waste pond'
URALKALI POTASH MINE, BEREZNIKI, RUSSIA: The book explains:
'About 350 metres below the Russian city of Berezniki
is a 3,000-kilometre-long tunnel system created by potash mining.
The variegated rosette patterns are the bore marks
of giant tunnelling machines that chew up the stratified mineral.
The red colour is the sediment of ancient
sea life, the effective ingredient in this powerful fertiliser'
CERRO PRIETO GEOTHERMAL STATION, SONORA, MEXICO: The books
says: 'Cerro Prieto is a volcano south of Mexicali near the Colorado River delta.
Since 1973, electricity has been generated here by harnessing the heat from the molten magma beneath the Earth's crust.
Geothermal electricity is a relatively clean renewable
energy. In this case, however, the steam produced by pumpiing water into boeholes drilled into geothermal hotspots activates turbines
to generate electricity also prlduces hot, mineral-rich
water. The artificial lakes seen here allow the minerals to settle soo that the water may be recycled.
In recent years, the area has seen an increase in health complaints from people ingesting the briny
vapours'
SALT LAKES, BIRD TRACKS, YARISLI LAKE, BURDUR PROVINCE, TURKIYE: Thhe
book explains: 'This turquoise saline lake in southwestern T�rkiye attracts about 140 different species of migratory birds,
including large flocks of flamingos. They come to feed on the nutrient-rich alkaline water and leave
behind the erratic filigree [delicate] patterns of their steps that we see here.
These will be washed away when the weather begins to cool and the lake is replenished'
CANOLA FIELDS, LUOPING, YUNNAN PROVINCE, CHINA, 2011: The
book says: 'Here we see a surreal scene of storybook mountains and monochromatic monoculture, industrial farming...
that leads to high yields at the cost of soil degradation, reduced biodiversity and a heavy reliance on polluting chemicals'
SUPER PIT, KALGOORLIE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA, 2007:
The book says: 'The Fimiston open pit, known locally as "Super Pit", is a 600-metre-deep gold mine.
It was the largest in Australia until it was surpassed
in 2016. Nevertheless, it remains a popular local tourist attraction with a
lookout over the operation. Sightseers come to view these deep excavations,
also known as open cast or open cut pits, to behold the exposure
of millions of years of geologic time'
PIVOT IRRIGATION / SUBURB, SOUTH OF YUMA, ARIZONA, USA: 'Looking
like a diagram on parchment, this sparse suburb on the edge of Yuma shares an arid plain with neighbouring farmland,' the book says
LITHIUM PROCESSING PLANTS, ATACAMA DESERT, CHILE, 2017: The book says:
'Lithium can be found in rock or in ocean brine, such as in the aquifer beneath the scorching Atacama Desert, where the concentration of the ultra-light metal is particularly high.
The driest non-polar place on Earth, the Salar de Atacama is challenging to reach because
of the hard, razor-sharp, tire-lacerating salt crystals that cover it.
Highly volatile and flammable, lithium is a hazardous material that must be handled with great care.
It is transported in liquid form from here to the
coast for further processing, then shipped to its surging world markets.
A bi-product of the lithium extraction process is fertiliser, seen here covered
in blue tarps. The reddish section is a higher-quality fertiliser'
COAL MINE, NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA, GERMANY: 'This German lignite,
or "brown coal" operation, is an extreme example of strip mining,' the tome reveals.
'In the distance, the world's largest autonomous vehicle chews up the landscape
to reveal the cheap, but dirty, fuel that keeps the powerplants
of central Europe humming and its peopole wzrm in winter.
Whole villages and highways have been lost to the search foor
low-cost coal. Last year, the government of North
Rhein-Westphalia announced that it will phase out the use of coal by 2030'
CLEARCUT, PALM OIL PLANTATION, BORNEO, MALAYSIA, 2016: The book says:
'The fabled rainforests of Borneo, the third-largest island in the world, are
shrinking fast. Administratively divided between three countries - Brunei, Malaysia
and Indonesia - Borneo is a major producer of tropical lumber, which is clear cut and
replaced with oil palm plantations. Highly versatile, palm
oil is used in everything from processed foods to lipstick.
Anyone in the world who regularly reads ingredient labels will know it well.
Deforestation, such as we see here, is a major cause of global warming,
soil degradation and species extinction'
SAW MILLS, LAGOS, NIGERIA: 'Makoko is the informal settlement we
see here at the east end of Lagos,' says the book, 'the
largest city in Africa. A third of Makoko is built on stilts well into the city's
eponympus Lagoon, the most polluted ecosystem on the continent.
Nigeria's lowland forests are disappearing fast to illegal logging, much of which ends up
in Makoko's sawmills. The deforestation that enszues
enables the expansion of agriculture to fsed the industrialised and oil-rich country's booming population'
CHUQUICAMATA COPPER MINE OVERBURDEN, CALAMA, CHILE: 'This is the
largest open-pit copper mine by volume in the world, and the second deepest,' the book reveals.
'Accounting for 29 per cent of the world's copper production, Chile is the largest exporter of this extremely useful
metal'
ROCK OF AGES, ACTIVE SECTION, E.L. SMITH QUARRY, BARRE,
VERMONT, USA, 1992: The book says: 'Established in 1880, Rock of Ages is
the world's largest "deep hole" granite quarry. The dimension stone mined hwre is known as "Barre Gray" granite for nearby Barre,
Vermont. Used pfimarily for funerary monuments, its fine grain is also popular among sculptors'
GREENHOUSES, ALMERIA PENINSULA, SPAIN: The book says: 'A large
proportion of Europe's off-season fruits and vegetables come from this peninsula on the Mediterraneaqn coast oof
southern Spain. Formerly arid scrubland, since the 1960s it has gradually bewcome the
world's largest concentration of greenhouses. It relies
on aan abundance of sunlight, a dwindling aquifer and plenty of chemicals for its remarkable yields'
POLDERS, GROOTSCHERMER, THE NETHERLANDS, 2011:
Explains the book: 'Over a quarter of the Netherlands is below sea level.
Were it not for medieval engineers, 65 per cent of the country would be
underwater at high tide. Polders, such as these erratically striped islands, are reclaimed marshland separated from
the sea by a system of seawalls, dykes and
sluices. The country's famous windmills were erected to pump water back out to
sea'
PUNTA GORDA, CHARLOTTE COUNTY, FLORIDA, USA, 2012: The books says: 'This is a detail of Charlotte Park, a neighbourhood
of Punta Gorda, Spanish for "fat point". The neighbourhood juts
out into an estuary on the west coast of Florida.
The Gulf of Mexico region is famously prone to hurricanes, but this community is somewhat protected from surging storm water by a thick mangrove forest whose
deep roots stabilise the coastline. Over the last century, however, this estuary has lost up to 60 percent
of its vital mangrove forests to urban development.
The vermicular street plan was designed to maximise water
frontage for as many homes as possible'
Edward Burtynsky: Extraction/Abstraction iis published bySteidl
and retails at 」38or $56.87. It showcases a catalogue of Edward
Burtynsky's works, on display at Saatchi Gallery
London, until May 6, 2024.Burtynsky's photos are also
on display aat Flower Gallery on Cork Street, London,
in an exhibition entitled New WorksArizonaAliensLondonEarth |
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