Influx

Burtynksy was not on the speaker list at PopTech, although he certainly should have been.

Luckily, the few souls that stayed till the tail end of last night’s “Open Mic Night” had a rare treat.

Burtynsky powered up his laptop and took us on a photographic tour-de-force around the changing China, highlighting the sheer scale of the construction, destruction and production.

Most people were clearly unaware of exactly who he was, including the evening’s host, a rather bemused Ze Frank, who was clearly concerned the Canadian photographer was running over his allotted 3 minute time limit.

Burtynsky uses photography to make environmental commentary, he has photographed quarries, Indian shipyards, mines, oil and most recently China.

He is also the subject of a new documentary “Manufactured Landscapes” which was recently awarded best film, at the Toronto International Film Festival.

His work can be found in galleries and museums throughout the world including in the collections of: Museum of Modern Art in New York, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, SMOMA and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.