In the highly anticipated third installment of an arresting art exhibition, Anthropocene: The Human Epoch finds the award-winning Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky teaming up again with acclaimed director Jennifer Baichwal (Watermark; Manufactured Landscapes) and producer Nick de Pencier (Watermark; Manufactured Landscapes) to explore humanity’s impact on the natural world. Four years in the making, Anthropocene is not only a film, but also an event that is sure to effectively capture everyone’s attention with its stunning visuals and timely activism.
“Anthropocene” is a term signifying the exact time of human influence on Earth’s geographic landscape. The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG), an international team of scientists, has spent the last 10 years researching this period and its effects on the planet—namely, the dangerous interference with Earth’s natural resources. Burtynsky explores these geographic detonations with the AWG by visiting lithium evaporation ponds in the Atacama Desert, potash mines in Russia, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and other places strongly affected by human domination. Using his photography skills, Burtynsky highlights these devastating impacts in stunning, artistic shots. The documentary takes on a surreal feeling, yet it calls attention to the very real threat of Earth’s slow dissolution. The film combines art and science, using the two different fields of expression to shed light on a global problem that is not going away any time soon.
“Edward Burtynsky, Jennifer Baichwal, and Nicholas de Pencier are Canadian artists who are at the very forefront of their fields. This [film and] exhibition will demonstrate the power of art to engage us aesthetically and intellectually on issues of pressing concern.” (Marc Mayer, Director and CEO, National Gallery of Canada)