This exhibition 'Scarcity and Waste' was a part of the Syngenta photography award 2015. This "celebration of artistic skill and outstanding photography" invited professional and amateur photographers to draw attention to key global issues through the medium of photography. This eye opening exhibition featured sets of photographs that explored different aspects of the worlds damaged or dwindling resources, in order to expose the true extent of the world's demand for and waste of itself.
In regards to the theme of obsession, the subject matter of these images had little relevance, however the ways in which they explored this not only raised thought provoking questions but also demonstrated inventive ways of displaying them. For example, for a series of images on pollution, the photographer Benedikt Partenheimer took a series (Particulate Matter) of high angled images over landscapes, almost entirely obscured by fog. These haunting images portrayed their settings as mere ghosts of what they once where, not only emphasising the extent to which the public are denning the fact that they are destroying the planet; blinded by their fear despite the overwhelming evidence, and producing a remarkably apt representation of a clouded mind;unable to see the true nature of the problem due to its massive extent.
Another question raised came in the form of waste. When viewing an image of a family surrounded by a weeks worth of their rubbish [see below], the family where asked to view what they left behind and examine what that said about themselves and what they valued. This then lead on to pondering the extent of what our waste says about us and then to questioning what an obsessed person would leave behind (and indeed the relationships we as people have with the world around us). Would they be so all consumed that thy would leave nothing, or would they leave everything, only taking in fuel for their obsession. However, this then lead to the question of weather it is the imprint we leave behind that proves our existence as opposed to the basic experiences we have. Does that mean that an obsessed person does not really exist because they leave nothing behind; because they consume so little?
The majority of the images in the exhibition where incredibly beautiful. Take the image at the top of the screen for example, and examine the exquisite and even composition of the abandoned landscape. The colour scheme of this image, though the burnt orange of a burning world, is incredibly beautiful in the way it seamlessly matches despite its natural occurrence. Many of the images in the exhibition where similarly beautiful, yet this was strange seeing as their subject matter was so serious. It seems that, particularly with photography, when a person wishes to spread a message, they have more luck when crating something beautiful out of something horrible as the juxtaposition of a persons expectation and the reality make the image all the more memorable. To apply his to the theme of obsession, it was realised that the images taken had to combine the same level of beauty mixed in with the dark atmosphere, therefore close attention should be mad to the colouring and composition of the images so as to ensure maximum impact of the message.
In regards to the theme of obsession, the subject matter of these images had little relevance, however the ways in which they explored this not only raised thought provoking questions but also demonstrated inventive ways of displaying them. For example, for a series of images on pollution, the photographer Benedikt Partenheimer took a series (Particulate Matter) of high angled images over landscapes, almost entirely obscured by fog. These haunting images portrayed their settings as mere ghosts of what they once where, not only emphasising the extent to which the public are denning the fact that they are destroying the planet; blinded by their fear despite the overwhelming evidence, and producing a remarkably apt representation of a clouded mind;unable to see the true nature of the problem due to its massive extent.
Another question raised came in the form of waste. When viewing an image of a family surrounded by a weeks worth of their rubbish [see below], the family where asked to view what they left behind and examine what that said about themselves and what they valued. This then lead on to pondering the extent of what our waste says about us and then to questioning what an obsessed person would leave behind (and indeed the relationships we as people have with the world around us). Would they be so all consumed that thy would leave nothing, or would they leave everything, only taking in fuel for their obsession. However, this then lead to the question of weather it is the imprint we leave behind that proves our existence as opposed to the basic experiences we have. Does that mean that an obsessed person does not really exist because they leave nothing behind; because they consume so little?
The majority of the images in the exhibition where incredibly beautiful. Take the image at the top of the screen for example, and examine the exquisite and even composition of the abandoned landscape. The colour scheme of this image, though the burnt orange of a burning world, is incredibly beautiful in the way it seamlessly matches despite its natural occurrence. Many of the images in the exhibition where similarly beautiful, yet this was strange seeing as their subject matter was so serious. It seems that, particularly with photography, when a person wishes to spread a message, they have more luck when crating something beautiful out of something horrible as the juxtaposition of a persons expectation and the reality make the image all the more memorable. To apply his to the theme of obsession, it was realised that the images taken had to combine the same level of beauty mixed in with the dark atmosphere, therefore close attention should be mad to the colouring and composition of the images so as to ensure maximum impact of the message.