40 years in the making, Edward Burtynsky's In the Wake of Progress is a multimedia project that bears witness to the impact of human industry on the planet. This spectacular experience, available to audiences beginning June 2022 as unique indoor and outdoor presentations, challenges us to have an important conversation about our legacy and the future implications of sustainable life on Earth.

Co-produced by Canadian music legend Bob Ezrin (known for his work with Pink Floyd, Andrea Bocelli, Peter Gabriel, Taylor Swift and many others), In the Wake of Progress is a 22-minute event combining video and photographs from throughout Burtynsky’s career, fully choreographed to an original score composed by Phil Strong, with vocals by award-winning Cree Métis artist iskwē and performances by musicians of The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory of Music.

Commissioned and co-produced by Luminato Festival Toronto, and premiering as the marquee event of the Festival’s opening weekend at Yonge-Dundas Square on June 11 and 12, 2022, In the Wake of Progress will be a stunning takeover of the Square’s surrounding digital screens, enveloping audiences in a 280° array of his famous imagery, including new and never-before-seen work.

On the heels of the free, outdoor world premiere, In the Wake of Progress will launch as an indoor immersive experience in Toronto following the festival on June 25.

“My hope is that this project, presented in venues and public squares globally — reaching nearly as far as I have travelled to create it — will provide a poignant statement illustrating the extent of human taking for the sake of modern progress. Places that were once, just beyond recent memory, abundant and pristine nature, are now transformed into landscapes of glass and concrete, sound and light. Where once there were forests, dense with biodiversity, now there are concrete jungles dense with the trappings of human life.” — Edward Burtynsky

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Produced to accompany, and in commemoration of the piece this book presents an overview of material that spans Burtynsky's entire career.

With personal reflections by the artist about his ethos and creative process, as well as quotes and extracts of texts by collaborators, curators, art historians, interviewers and colleagues. This survey provides a truly unique glimpse into the artist and his work.

Hardcover: 201 pages

Publisher: Edward Burtynsky Photography
1st edition, May 2022

Language: English

ISBN-13: 978-1-7778278-0-9

Product Dimensions: 10.25” x 12.25” x 1” (26 cm x 31 cm x 2.5 cm)

*Available to North American residents only. If you are outside of North America and are interested in purchasing this item, please contact our studio directly at [email protected]