Dam #6, Three Gorges Dam Project, Yangtze River, China 2005

Editor: We’re looking at Edward Burtynsky's photograph, "Dam #6, Three Gorges Dam Project, Yangtze River, China," taken in 2005. The sheer scale is overwhelming! There's so much intricate detail in this almost industrial landscape. How do you see this work? Curator: I see a complex investigation of process and materials. Look at the labor etched into every concrete form, the orchestration of materials on a scale that challenges our comprehension. Burtynsky isn't just capturing a landscape; he's documenting the means of production. Consider the cranes, the scaffolding, and the earth itself, reshaped. Editor: It feels very documentary, but with an artistic lens. Does the social context play a large part here? Curator: Absolutely. This image confronts us with the environmental and social implications of massive construction projects. What impact do you think a project like the Three Gorges Dam has on local communities and ecosystems? The photograph subtly reveals consumption and waste. Editor: I hadn't really considered the labor aspect until now. It does seem to bridge a gap between "high art" and more industrial visual cultures. Are you seeing tension, though, between a seemingly neutral observation and an implicit critique? Curator: Precisely. There's tension. Burtynsky doesn’t offer a simplistic judgement; instead, he presents the visual facts of the Dam's construction for our consideration, emphasizing the materials and processes involved in reshaping the environment. We can witness our relationship to power and progress. Editor: I see it more clearly now. The materiality of the construction – the concrete, steel, the displaced earth – speaks volumes about human impact. Thanks for this perspective. Curator: Indeed. This conversation highlights the materiality embedded in the photograph, urging us to contemplate our own relationship to environmental transformation.