In my video Solid Landscapes, I explore the never-ending growth of usable and productive (anti-)landscapes. I do this by reproducing and multiplying visual evidence of the dramatic changes that are gradually taking place around the world.
The work is an allegory of social processes that follow one another at an ever-faster pace, driven by economic and population growth, technological advancement, and the constantly increasing flood of information.
The flight over monocultures of production begins with ready-made components and descends into the pits where raw materials are mined to produce commodities. From a bird’s-eye perspective, the viewer sees an image that might show a fragment of the Earth —yet it remains uncertain whether it depicts reality or a disturbing futuristic vision.
Thoughts on the term “Landscape”
The word landscape has many meanings. It can refer to a piece of land or a section of the Earth’s surface, to the cultivation of soil, or to a defined spatial unit of use—such as a garden landscape.
But I also use the term in a broader sense: to describe sounds, thoughts, and memories— soundscapes, mindscapes, and similar extensions.
Many of the world’s landscapes have changed dramatically in recent decades. Social processes unfold faster and faster, driven by economic growth, technological progress, and the overwhelming flow of information. Some future transformations will certainly surprise us, while others can already be foreseen—the tendencies are clearly visible.
A concept that fits industrial or commercial environments is the “Landscape of Power” (1): a landscape shaped by economic interventions, hegemonic strategies, and strictly defined rules and property rights.
In my project, I address the unrestrained expansion of such landscapes and imagine a future filled with endless, sprawling Landscapes of Power that are directly connected to another phenomenon—the “Landscape of Conflict.”
Through this work, I explore the boundaries between privacy and legality in the context of political and economic trespassing. I look for the hidden realities behind walls and fences that protect the internal interests of companies.
The complexity of my topic—the relationship between humans, the Earth, and natural resources—inspired me to compose the material as one continuous piece: a “never-ending flight.” The borders between individual video recordings dissolve, forming a vision of ongoing transformation shaped by human activity on the planet.
*1: “Landscape of Power, Landscape of Conflict.Tina L.Thurston https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/b110509