A retrospective of Edward Burtynsky's photography from the past 40 years The Great
Acceleration reveals the depth of Burtynsky's investigation into the human alteration of
natural landscapes around the world showing their present fragility and enduring beauty in
equal measure. Including many of Burtynsky's landmark images some of which have never
previously been published the book is an urgent call to action inviting us to appreciative
the sublimity that remains in nature while deepening our understanding of the challenges and
responsibilities confronting us today. "The Great Acceleration" is an established term used
to describe the rapid rise of human impact on our planet among them population growth water
usage transportation greenhouse gas emissions resource extraction and food production each
of which Burtynsky has photographed the signs of in great detail throughout his career. From
open pit mines across North America to oil derricks in Azerbaijan from rice terraces in China
to oil bunkering in Nigeria Burtynsky has traveled the world and back again as part of his
restless and seemingly inexhaustible drive to discover the ways both old and new that
organized human activity has transformed Earth. Though already unified by both the precision
and formal beauty of Burtynsky's photographs The Great Acceleration further underscores that
like their respective subjects each project remains fundamentally interconnected.
