Our focus for this blog is primarily concerned with urbanisation – landscapes that have been stamped on by humanity. Sebastião Salgado is a Brazilian documentary photographer whose images range from the most pristine of natural landscapes, to “in-depth projects delving into social issues such as inequity, development, urbanisation, labour, migration and globalisation” (Singer, 2010).
Salgado has a central theme throughout much of his work, that of an “ongoing visual investigation of the varying relationship(s) between humans and the land” (Nair, 2012). His series of images titled Migrations reviewed the theme of the population movements around the world. I feel that this body of work in particular resonates with the issues and ideas that we are attempting to explore in this blog, about the human imprint on the natural environment. His approach is sometimes empathetic, other times impartial or more of a commentary, but still captures beautifully how displaced and migrating populations are affected and interact with the surrounding environment.
“In recent decades, hundreds of millions of people across the globe have been uprooted from their homes by poverty, wars and repression. Some flee to save their lives; others risk their lives to escape destitution. Most end up in refugee camps or in the slums of Third World cities; a lucky few find a better life in an affluent country far from their own. All in their different ways are at the mercy of economic and political forces beyond their control. The global economic change deepening rural poverty in much of the Third World, peasant migration is creating gargantuan ungovernable cities. Almost everything that happens on earth is somehow connected. We are all affected by the widening gap between rich and poor, by population growth, by the mechanization of agriculture, by destruction of the environment, by bigotry exploited for political ends. The people wrenched from their homes are simply the most visible victims of a global convulsion.” (Amazonas)
Salgado’s work explores and reveals so much about the human condition, within the context of society and the environment. His documentary approach and style has seen him commit months and years of time to one country, one group of people, for the purpose of “converting the crushing statistics he encountered as a Paris-trained economist into faces, tired and human” (Artspace). He completely ensconced himself in several cultures over numerous years, “immortalizing a vast range of people” (Artspace), and reporting social issues from within, rather than from outside. All of his projects bring to light a social conscience, but it is this Migrations project that resonates the most with me with regards to human impact and displacement on earth, and how that affects the natural environment.
All images reproduced from Amazonas Images
Singer, A., 2010, sebastião salgado, behind the lens, Contexts, 1 July, Vol 9.3, pp 40-45
Nair, P., 2012, A different light: the photography of Sebastião Salgado. Duke Publishing
Amazonas Images <www.amazonasimages.com>
It's always refreshing to view documentary work which is so surreal. It reminds me on the work of Joel Sternfeld, in that the scenes appear to be completely constructed and unreal, when in fact they are.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this photographer's work, I found it very inspiring, as I believe that every good photograph gets even better when you discover the social significance behind the beautiful facade. This is what fascinates me in photojournalism, when it's done properly.
ReplyDeleteWhile Stephanie compared Salgado's work to Sterfeld, I see more of Cartier-Bresson influence in these shots...but maybe on a greater scale, as Bresson's pictures look more 'cosy', so to speak.