Whether you like it or not, our lifestyle is based on a massive industrial complex. From the enormous mines in Africa to the endless factory floors in China. They are the cogs in the giant machine that we call the economy. It might be sputtering right now, but clearly, governments are putting up a lot of money to keep the wheels turning.
The massive scale of all this, is lost to almost any one in the West. However, sometimes, we catch a glimpse of what is out there, of the conveyer belts that move all those neat little gadgets into our houses:
- Ed Burtynsky is a photographer and the subject of the documentary “Manufactured Landscapes“. He shows factories that never end and dumping grounds that are higher than many mountains. It’s eye opening.
- In a different light, those same factories can become a true work of art. Oddly compelling, it’s like watching a crash. Both shocking and, yet, in some strange way there’s a certain beauty to it.
- I was reminded of another work of art, called Kasparov. When it was first shown to the world, it was an incredible demonstration of the power of modern computers. It brought the artificial and the real together in a show of technical know how.
Enjoy and above all: think.