The work of Edward Burtynsky has had a profound effect on my practice and the way I appreciate photography. With his earlier works being produced using 10×8 large format film and being printed on a mind blowing scale, they’ve been an inspiration.
Burtynskys use of high angles and thoroughly researched mind-blowing locations come together to produce bodies of work which provoke thought and conversation around the human impact on our landscape.
Oil was a huge undertaking by Burtynsky and a body of work which took several years to produce. Following the journey of oil from its extraction and refinement, through our dependency on it each day and finishing with the end result through the vast scrap yards of redundant machinery.
During the Summer of 2012 this project was exhibited at The Photographers Gallery in London and was the first time I saw Burtynskys work in exhibition form. The collection of huge prints really did take my breath away. These vast depictions of devastated landscapes provoke intrigue and admiration.
Burtynsky, E. (2019). Oil. https://www.edwardburtynsky.com/projects/photographs/oil
Andrews Masters Journey 