Photography News | Issue 40 | absolutephoto.com
39
Interview
first question is how to get to the area; then I must find a small plane for charter there. Often I have been assured of a plane, made my schedule and booked my travel to the area only to have the charter then say they are unable to fly. Pilots are quite well trained and safety-conscious by nature, so there is really no danger. Our idea of danger in the modern world is misplaced. Just how difficult is it to shoot from the air? What challenges did you have to overcome? Shooting from the air is exhausting, mentally and physically. One sits for many hours in a cramped jostling seat, twisted in an uncomfortable position. One of the greatest challenges is dehydration, due to the limited intake of fluids because there’s no bathroom. How long I shoot depends on how much there is to shoot and how far we must go from our launch spot to get there. I can spend a lot of time circling over the location to get the right shot, especially if it is windy. Is any specialist gear required? Do you choose a certain time of day to shoot at? For these pictures I used a variety of Canon, Leica, and Sony cameras with lenses by Canon andLeica.Most of the abstracts involve using a telephoto lens between 100mm and 400mm. Image stabilisation becomes a problem; some cameras have it built in and other times I have a gyroscopic stabiliser. Each location has an optimal time of day, but it’s not always possible to get a plane for that time. We hear your activities have sparked curiosity from authorities – gave you ever got yourself into serious trouble? I have been harassed by the police several times in the places where they are owned by the oil companies (like Louisiana). In these cases they usually demanded that I hand over the filmand I always have a dummy roll handy for this purpose. Also, I have been interviewed several times by the FBI; once they even came to my hotel early in the morning after
we would save a forest. Art is a way to inspire people to question and act; to look for the connections between themselves and the world around them. If I can make art that stops people and stimulates them to question the status quo, and the part they play in the big pollution picture, maybe the consumer becomes a citizen and starts to vote with their purchase decisions. What else have you been up to? The first exhibit of my new series, On The Edge: America’s Coastline opened at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina. My multimedia project Das Lied von der Erde , a HD video projection of my images with orchestra playing the piece of the same name by Gustav Mahler, was performed in Berlin. Most exciting is my new book Industrial Scars: The Hidden Costs of Consumption , which premiered at the Frankfurt Book Fair back in October last year. Iwill continue tophotograph the coasts of theUSA in the future and actually just didMaine. Another project on my mind is slavery and racism.
a pilot had reported a suspicious ‘Arabic- looking man’ had chartered him to fly over industrial sites. In both cases they were polite, professional and seemed to take me at my word in explaining my activities. How important do you feel photography is in terms of raising awareness of these industrial scars? The world has been talking about the same environmental issues for years without any
progress. People are concerned, but unsure what to do, and very concerned about jobs and food. Politicians speak the same empty promises they have spoken for years, and the people making money on contamination continue to buy the government what they want. However, the people profiting from pollution actually respond quickly to the desires of the consumer. If people stop buying toilet paper made from old growth trees, paper companies would stop making it and
Buy the book
Industrial Scars: The Hidden Costs of Consumption , published by Papadakis is available to buy now for £30 from thegmcgroup.com
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