Untitled (Bingham Copper Mine, Utah) 2003

Victoria Sambunaris took this photograph of the Bingham Copper Mine in Utah, printed large, it almost becomes an abstract painting. The colours are muted, almost monochrome, but that doesn’t make the image any less interesting. What I notice first are the horizontal striations that articulate the surface of the mine. The light seems to rake across this surface, picking out every little bump and crevice. It makes you want to touch the surface. This isn’t just a representation of a mine; it’s also about the materiality of the earth itself. There's a tension between the documentary aspect, capturing a real place, and the formal elements, like composition and texture, which make it feel more like a constructed image. Photographers like Bernd and Hilla Becher come to mind, who also documented industrial structures with a similar eye for detail and form. Ultimately, this image invites us to consider the way we see and experience the world around us, and how art can help us find new perspectives on even the most familiar subjects.