Side Hustle/ Conceptual Photography

Anthropocene

  • David Thomas Smith

“The term Anthropocene suggests that the Earth is now moving out of its current geological epoch, called the Holocene and that human activity is largely responsible for this exit from the Holocene, that is, that humankind has become a global geological force in its own right. ” - Paul Crutzen Composited from thousands of digital files drawn from aerial views taken from internet satellite images, this work reflects upon the complex structures that make up the centres of global capitalism, transforming the aerial landscapes of sites associated with industries such as oil, precious metals, consumer culture information and excess. Thousands of seemingly insignificant coded pieces of information are sown together like knots in a rug to reveal a grander spectacle. Questions of photographic and economic realities are further complicated through the formal use of patterns that have their origins in the ancient civilizations of Persia. This work draws upon the patterns and motifs used by Persian rug makers, especially the way Afghani weavers use the rug to record their experiences more literally with vivid images of the war torn land that surrounds them. This collision between the old and the new, fact and fiction, surveillance and invisibility, is part of a strategy to reflect on the global order of things.

Las Vegas, NV, United States of America

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Silicon Valley, CA, United States of America

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Fimiston Open Pit, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, Australia

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Delta Coal Port, Vancouver, BC, Canada

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Las Norias de Daza, Almeria, Spain

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Burj Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
1000 Chrysler Dr, Auburn Hills, MI, United States

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Beijing International Airport, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Mall of America, East Brodway, Bloomington, MN, United States

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Three Mile Island Generating Station, Middletown, PA, United States of America

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Biosphere 2, Oracle, AZ, United States of America

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail
Three Gorges Dam, Sandouping, Yiling, Hubei, People's Republic of China.

180cm x 120cm Giclée Archival Print.

Edition of 3
Detail