Bruised Lands
Alan Gignoux
WASPS The Briggait, Glasgow
31st October – 12th November 2022
Co-curated with Chloe Juno
Timed to coincide with the COP26 conference in Glasgow, the exhibition offered a stark and timely examination of the environmental and human consequences of industrial extraction, documenting the relentless exploitation of natural resources across multiple global sites.
In Oil Sands (Canada), Gignoux presents aerial photographs of landscapes profoundly altered by bitumen extraction, drawing the viewer close to the scarred terrain and revealing the visual violence of fossil fuel exploitation. A documentary film by Gignouxphotos, incorporating interviews with residents on opposing sides of the debate, addresses the complex trade-offs between economic security and environmental preservation.
Mountaintops to Moonscapes (USA) documents mountaintop removal mining in Appalachia, where ancient, forested mountains have been transformed into barren, otherworldly terrain. An accompanying award-winning film explores the social consequences of this form of mining.
In Monuments (Germany), Gignoux turns his attention to surface coal mining near Düsseldorf, where the expansion of the Garzweiler mine has led to the systematic evacuation of entire communities.
Oil Sands: Tailings Dam Embankment, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, 2010, copyright Alan Gignoux
Lastly, the exhibition included work from Gignoux’s 2009 project Russian Rust Belt, which documents Russia’s mineral-rich Urals region, home to several historically significant “monocities” built around mining and metallurgy. Frequently listed among the world’s most polluted cities, these locations form the backdrop to everyday life in Gignoux’s photographs, revealing what he describes as the “dirty room” in which people live and work.
Across photography and film, Bruised Lands underscores the urgency of a global transition to a low-carbon future. As the window for averting climate catastrophe narrows, the exhibition lays bare the scale of the challenge ahead.
Exhibition installation showing works (clockwise) from Monuments, Oil Sands, Monuments and Russian Rust Belt
About the Photographer
Alan Gignoux is an award-winning documentary photographer and founder of Gignouxphotos, which produces documentary photography projects focussing on socio-political and environmental issues around the world. Gignoux specializes in long form documentary projects that explore an issue and its impact on communities over long periods of several years; combining photography, video, interviews, research, and writing in creative and innovative ways to create layered projects offering multiple perspectives https://gignouxphotos.com/
Credits
Jenny Christensson and Chloe Juno for Gignouxphotos
Exhibition Co-curators
Richard Wills at Photofusion
Exhibition Prints
Emily Macaulay at Stanley James Press
Exhibition Design
Documentary Films:
Oil Sands: Curse or Blessing directed by Alan Gignoux and Christopher Kemble
Appalachia: Mountaintops to Moonscapes directed by Alan Gignoux