By Neil Ever Osborne and M.A. Jacquemain
The Weather Network
After the public world premiere of Burtynsky’s multimedia art piece, In the Wake of Progress, on the towering screens surrounding Yonge-Dundas Square, this new body of work has been transformed into “an immersive walkthrough experience” at the Canadian Opera Company Theatre in Toronto for a limited run from June 25-July 17.
Renowned Canadian photographic artist Edward Burtynsky has launched a new exhibit this month, revisiting his lifelong subject of the human impact on the planet.
“We're at that point where words aren't enough,” he added. “We need to act.”
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Read MoreBy Mark Wigmore
Classical FM
Edward Burtynsky joined Mark Wigmore on The Oasis.
Listen here.
Read MoreBy Sue Carter
Toronto Star
The lush forest in the opening sequence of photographer Edward Burtynsky’s “In the Wake of Progress,” a monumental new film installation at the Canadian Opera Company Theatre, provides visitors with some digital tree-bathing.
Visitors can move around and get up close as a caribou saunters and a bald eagle flies in, surveying the scene across three nine-metre screens. An animator spent six months in post-production adding wildlife and movement to one of Burtynsky’s panoramic still photos and the effects are seamless, down to the rustling ferns.
Despite the peacefulness, there is underlying anxiety. This is Burtynsky, after all, who has dedicated his 40-year career to documenting human impact on the environment. Serenity isn’t the intended takeaway from “In the Wake of Progress.” It’s a call to action and to witness.
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Read MoreBy Irena Galea
The Globe and Mail
Burtynsky’s newest work is a 22-minute film that forces viewers to reckon with the global environmental and human impact of industrialization.
The boy on the screen leans against his metal tools in Chittagong, Bangladesh, to the sound of a warped orchestra. He’s dwarfed by the blackened hull of a ship looming behind him. It’s no longer being covered by insurance, so somebody, somewhere, has to take it apart. He got the job.
The hazardous working conditions he endures are propped up by the same developed countries where his photograph might be viewed, as Western shipowners often outsource their shipbreaking to Asian countries such as Bangladesh, exploiting cheap labour and a lack of workplace regulation.
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Read MoreBy Michela Rosano
Canadian Geographic
At Young-Dundas Square, one of the most developed intersections in the country, an image of an old-growth forest is projected on every media screen, as a large crowd gathers. The lush greenery of the scene is the only “nature” that can be seen in this concrete space, save for a few small trees in planters along Yonge Street. The screens go dark and the show begins.
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Read MoreBy Meghan Yuri Young
Now Playing Toronto
Internationally renowned Edward Burtynsky has devoted his career to documenting how our insatiable desire for consumption impacts our environment. Burtynsky’s most ambitious project takes him into uncharted territory as a visual artist to illustrate the devastation’s increased sense of urgency.
Read the full interview here.
Read MoreBy Mariam Matti
UofT News
Earlier in his career as a photographer and artist, Edward Burtynsky saw an opportunity to dedicate his life’s work to a single idea: humanity's impact on the planet.
In the 1980s, Burtynsky saw the growing sustainability challenges posed by the combination of heavy industry and billions of people.
His work would ultimately take him all over the world – and garner numerous awards and accolades – as he captured how humanity is reshaping the Earth through resource extraction, urban sprawl and manufacturing, to name a few.
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Read MoreCuriocity
The whole immersive art experience might be a little played out in Toronto, but we definitely think this is an exception to the rule. Edward Burtynsky, who is one of Canada’s preeminent photographers and artists, is putting on a new experience called “In the Wake of Progress“.
Read the full article here.
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