Contemporary Photographer Research

Emmet Gowin, Old Hanford City Site, Hanford Nuclear Reservation, near Richland, Washington. 1986

Emmet Gowin was born in 1941 in Danville, Virginia. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from Richmond Professional Institute in 1965, and then obtained his MFA in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1967. While there, he studied under the photographer Harry Callahan, and was heavily influenced by him.

Gowin is widely known for his landscape and aerial photography, and his documentation of human influence on the environment. He addresses the "global impact of pivot irrigation, natural resource mining, military occupation, and weapons testing"; basically, how humanity has left scars upon the land, and how by molding it to our own uses, we have caused permanent permanent change.

This image, taken in 1986, is a prime example of the mark of humanity on the environment. The image is foreboding, and the city layout, still visible, is eerily devoid of life. The roads, carved into the landscape like a tatoo, juxtapose strongly with the curving, natural lines of the river. The land in the distance is obscure, and the picture is overall one of desolation, due to past human activity in the area. There is very little contrast, and the image is almost entirely a depressing shade of gray.

In order to take this photo, I would assume that Gowin used some kind of airplane to fly over sites in order to photograph them. Research tells me that he also almost exclusively used a large format camera.

Gowin created this image most likely with the intent to comment on the impact of humanity on our surroundings. Sometimes, humanity can have a positive impact--civilizations around the world have found ways to live in harmony with nature. Yet in other times, humanity has been irreversibly destructive. The impression I get from this photo is that it is commenting on this destructive side--sometimes our carefully made plans, as evidenced by the city layout, fall through, and even though humanity can uproot itself and move on, it takes the landscape a little longer to do so. The impression remains on the land, even when the impression of the memory has collectively left our minds.

This is one of the reasons I am drawn to Gowin's work. I come from a town that has a very long and well-documented history, and is also home to a great number of rocks and ledges, which are covered in the carved initials and names of visitors--some as old as the 1800's. The mark of humanity is visible everywhere in my town--from the old mining shafts and decaying brick buildings you can still find in the woods, to these names. Nature is fighting to retake the buildings, but when you carve a name, that is a part of the rock that will never come back. Rocks are worn over time--they never return to their original state. In this way, human impressions on the land don't ever fully disappear. This actually gives me great ideas for some photos to take this weekend.....

http://www.pacemacgill.com/emmetgowin-14-3.html