Lithium Mines #2, Salt Flats, Atacama Desert, Chile
The striking blue and green pools seen here, while extraordinary, do not belong to an interplanetary apparatus parked above the Atacama Desert. Instead, they are salt flats integral to the largest lithium mining operation in Chile. As rendered in this photograph, the mirage-like installation appears to hover mid-air through a play of light. The image is part of photographer Edward Burtynky’s Anthropocene project, which uses beautiful imagery to raise awareness about the often-devastating effects of human activity on the earth. This complex strategy is even thornier in this case since lithium is a “greener,” non-fossil resource that could help reduce our carbon footprint, even while the extraction process is not without environmental risk to the surrounding area.
Artwork Details
- Title: Lithium Mines #2, Salt Flats, Atacama Desert, Chile
- Artist: Edward Burtynsky (Canadian, born 1955)
- Date: 2017
- Medium: Inkjet print
- Dimensions: Sheet: 48 × 64 in. (121.9 × 162.6 cm)
Framed: 51 1/16 × 67 1/16 in. (129.7 × 170.3 cm) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Purchase, Jay H. McDonald Gift, 2021
- Object Number: 2021.156
- Rights and Reproduction: © Edward Burtynsky 2017
- Curatorial Department: Photographs
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