Jamey Stillings: ATACAMA

Born in 1955 in Oregon, Jamey Stillings incorporates documentary, artistic and commissioned projects in his photography. He has exhibited internationally and his work is held in the collections of the United States Library of Congress, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Nevada Museum of Art. With his book The Evolution of Ivanpah Solar (Steidl, 2015), Stillings won the International Photography Awards Professional Book Photographer of the Year in 2016.

With ATACAMA, Jamey Stillings again shares his distinctive aerial perspective to examine dramatic large-scale renewable energy projects, the visual dynamic of enormous mining operations and the stark beauty of the Atacama Desert, so often scarred by human activity. Chile produces a third of the world's copper and has the largest known lithium reserves, and we utilize these resources daily in our cars, computers and smartphones. The country's mining industry has traditionally been dependent on imported coal, diesel and natural gas for its energy. Yet the Atacama Desert has excellent solar and wind potential: new renewable energy projects there now supply significant electricity to the northern grid, transmit power to population centers in the south, and are reducing mining's dependence on fossil fuel.Stillings' aesthetic interest in the human-altered landscape and concerns for environmental sustainability are principal pillars of his work. His photography elicits a critical dialogue about meeting our needs and desires while seeking equilibrium between nature and human activity. ATACAMA, the latest chapter in his ongoing project "Changing Perspectives," shows how photography can concurrently be a source of inspiration, motivation and information, and reminds us that a carbon-constrained future is crucial to a responsible approach to life on earth.Sprachen: Englisch, Spanisch