ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Edward Burtynsky - Photographer
2005 TED Prize winner Edward Burtynsky has made it his life's work to document humanity's impact on the planet. His riveting photographs, as beautiful as they are horrifying, capture views of the Earth altered by mankind.

Why you should listen

To describe Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky's work in a single adjective, you have to speak French: jolie-laide. His images of scarred landscapes -- from mountains of tires to rivers of bright orange waste from a nickel mine -- are eerily pretty yet ugly at the same time. Burtynsky's large-format color photographs explore the impact of humanity's expanding footprint and the substantial ways in which we're reshaping the surface of the planet. His images powerfully alter the way we think about the world and our place in it.

With his blessing and encouragement, WorldChanging.com and others use his work to inspire ongoing global conversations about sustainable living. Burtynsky's photographs are included in the collections of over 50 museums around the world, including the Tate, London and the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York City. A large-format book, 2003's Manufactured Landscapes, collected his work, and in 2007, a documentary based on his photography, also called Manufactured Landscapes, debuted at the Toronto Film Festival before going on to screen at Sundance and elsewhere. It was released on DVD in March 2007. In 2008, after giving a talk at the Long Now Foundation, Burtynsky proposed "The 10,000 Year Gallery," which could house art to be curated over thousands of years preserved through carbon transfers in an effort to reflect the attitudes and changes of the world over time. 

When Burtynsky accepted his 2005 TED Prize, he made three wishes. One of his wishes: to build a website that will help kids think about going green. Thanks to WGBH and the TED community, the show and site Meet the Greens debuted at TED2007. His second wish: to begin work on an Imax film, which morphed into the jaw-dropping film Manufactured Landscapes with Jennifer Baichwal. And his third wish, wider in scope, was simply to encourage "a massive and productive worldwide conversation about sustainable living." Thanks to his help and the input of the TED community, the site WorldChanging.com got an infusion of energy that has helped it to grow into a leading voice in the sustainability community.

In 2016, he won a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts for his work.

More profile about the speaker
Edward Burtynsky | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2009

Edward Burtynsky: Photographing the landscape of oil

Edward Burtynsky fotografuje ropné krajiny

Filmed:
550,970 views

Svými velkorozměrnými fotografiemi Edward Burtynsky sleduje cestu ropy moderní společností, od ropných čerpadel až do motorů aut - a pak dále předpovídá konec ropných krizí.
- Photographer
2005 TED Prize winner Edward Burtynsky has made it his life's work to document humanity's impact on the planet. His riveting photographs, as beautiful as they are horrifying, capture views of the Earth altered by mankind. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:15
I startedzačal my journeycesta 30 yearsroky agopřed.
0
0
3000
Začal jsem svou cestu před 30 lety.
00:18
And I workedpracoval in minesdoly. And I realizeduvědomil that
1
3000
2000
Pracoval jsem v dolech a uvědomil jsem si,
00:20
this was a worldsvět unseenneviditelné.
2
5000
2000
že jde o neznámý svět.
00:22
And I wanted, throughpřes colorbarva and largevelký formatformát cameraskamery
3
7000
2000
A chtěl jsem přes barvu a foťáky s velkým záběrem
00:24
and very largevelký printstiskne,
4
9000
2000
a přes velkorozměrové fotogafie
00:26
to make a bodytělo of work that somehowNějak
5
11000
2000
udělat dílo, které
00:28
becamestal se symbolssymboly of our
6
13000
3000
by se stalo symbolem našeho
00:31
use of the landscapekrajina,
7
16000
2000
využívání krajiny,
00:33
how we use the landpřistát.
8
18000
2000
jak využíváme půdu.
00:35
And to me this was
9
20000
2000
A to byla pro mě
00:37
a keyklíč componentkomponent that somehowNějak, throughpřes this mediumstřední of photographyfotografování,
10
22000
3000
klíčová součást, která jistým způsobem přes toto médium fotografie,
00:40
whichkterý allowsumožňuje us to contemplaterozjímat these landscapeskrajiny,
11
25000
3000
jež nám umožnilo uvažovat o těchto krajinách,
00:43
that I thought photographyfotografování was perfectlydokonale suitedvhodný
12
28000
3000
které mi jako fotografie přišly jako perfektní pro
00:46
to doing this typetyp of work.
13
31000
2000
daný úkol.
00:48
And after 17 yearsroky of photographingfocení largevelký industrialprůmyslový landscapeskrajiny,
14
33000
4000
Po 17 letech fotografování velkých industriálních krajin,
00:52
it occurreddošlo to me that
15
37000
2000
přišlo mi, že
00:54
oilolej is underpinningoporou the scaleměřítko and speedRychlost.
16
39000
2000
ropa stojí za tím záběrem za tou rychlostí,
00:56
Because that is what has changedzměněna,
17
41000
2000
protože to, co se změnilo,
00:58
is the speedRychlost at whichkterý we're takingpřijmout all our resourceszdroje.
18
43000
3000
je rychlost jakou těžíme naše zdroje.
01:01
And so then I wentšel out to developrozvíjet a wholeCelý seriessérie
19
46000
2000
A tak jsem začal vytvářet celé série
01:03
on the landscapekrajina of oilolej.
20
48000
2000
ropných krajin.
01:05
And what I want to do is to kinddruh of mapmapa an arcoblouk
21
50000
5000
A to co jsem chtěl udělat bylo zmapovat cyklus,
01:10
that there is extractionextrakce, where we're takingpřijmout it from the groundpřízemní,
22
55000
3000
kde je těžba, kde se ze země berou suroviny.
01:13
refinementvylepšení. And that's one chapterkapitola.
23
58000
2000
To je jedna kapitola.
01:15
The other chapterkapitola that I wanted to look at was
24
60000
2000
Další kapitola, kterou jsem chtěl zkoumat, byla
01:17
how we use it -- our citiesměsta,
25
62000
2000
o využívání ropy, o našich městech,
01:19
our carsauta, our motorculturesmotorcultures,
26
64000
2000
o našich autech, o naší automobilistické kultuře,
01:21
where people gathershromáždit around the vehiclevozidlo
27
66000
4000
kde si lidé scházejí u aut
01:25
as a celebrationOslava.
28
70000
2000
jako při oslavě.
01:27
And then the thirdTřetí one is this ideaidea of the endkonec of oilolej,
29
72000
2000
A třetí je o myšlence konce ropy
01:29
this entropicentropické endkonec,
30
74000
2000
tento entropický konec,
01:31
where all of our partsčásti of carsauta, our tirespneumatiky,
31
76000
3000
kde všechny naše díly aut, naše gumy,
01:34
oilolej filtersfiltry,
32
79000
2000
filtry benzínu,
01:36
helicoptersvrtulníky, planesletadel --
33
81000
2000
vrtulníky, letadla -
01:38
where are the landscapeskrajiny where all of that stuffvěci endskončí up?
34
83000
3000
kde všechny ty krajiny, kde ty všechny věci končí?
01:41
And to me, again, photographyfotografování was
35
86000
2000
Pro mě byla fotografie
01:43
a way in whichkterý I could exploreprozkoumat and researchvýzkum the worldsvět,
36
88000
3000
způsob, jakým jsem mohl zkoumat tento svět
01:46
and find those placesmísta.
37
91000
2000
a najít ty místa.
01:48
And anotherdalší ideaidea that I had as well,
38
93000
2000
Další nápad, co jsem měl,
01:50
that was broughtpřinesl forwardvpřed by an ecologistekolog --
39
95000
4000
původně dostal ekolog -
01:54
he basicallyv podstatě did a calculationvýpočet where
40
99000
3000
V zásadě provedl kalkulaci, ve které
01:57
he tookvzal one literlitr of gasplyn and said,
41
102000
2000
si vzal jeden litr benzínu a řekl:
01:59
well, how much carbonuhlík it would take, and how much organicorganické materialmateriál?
42
104000
4000
"Kolik CO2 by bylo zapotřebí a kolik organického materiálu to vyžaduje?"
02:03
It was 23 metricmetrický tonstuny for one literlitr.
43
108000
3000
Bylo to 23 metrických tun za jeden litr.
02:06
So wheneverkdykoli I fillvyplnit up my gasplyn,
44
111000
2000
Takže když tankuju,
02:08
I think of that literlitr, and how much carbonuhlík.
45
113000
2000
přemýšlím o tom jednom litru a o tom množství CO2.
02:10
And I know that oilolej comespřijde from the oceanoceán and phytoplanktonfytoplanktonu,
46
115000
3000
Vím, že ropa pochází z oceánu z fytoplanktonu.
02:13
but he did the calculationsvýpočty for our EarthZemě
47
118000
3000
Ale on provedl kalkulaci pro celou naši zemi
02:16
and what it had to do to producevyrobit that amountmnožství of energyenergie.
48
121000
2000
a zkoumal, jaké to obnáší energetické nároky.
02:18
From the photosynthetick fotosyntéze growthrůst,
49
123000
2000
Fotosintetickému růstu
02:20
it would take 500 yearsroky of that growthrůst
50
125000
3000
by to trvalo 500 let,
02:23
to producevyrobit what we use, the 30 billionmiliarda barrelssudy we use perza yearrok.
51
128000
5000
aby bylo vyprodukováno, 30 miliard barelů naší roční produkce.
02:28
And that alsotaké broughtpřinesl me to the factskutečnost that
52
133000
2000
A to mě přimělo uvažovat o skutečnosti,
02:30
this posespředstavuje suchtakový a riskriziko to our societyspolečnost.
53
135000
3000
že to obnáší velké riziko pro naši společnost.
02:33
Looking at 30 billionmiliarda perza yearrok,
54
138000
5000
Když se zamyslíte nad 30 miliardami za rok,
02:38
we look at our two largestnejvětší suppliersdodavatelů,
55
143000
2000
představujeme si naše dva největší dodavatele,
02:40
SaudiSaúdská ArabiaArábie and now CanadaKanada, with its dirtyšpinavý oilolej.
56
145000
2000
Saudskou Árábii a nyní i Kanadu, s její špinavou ropou.
02:42
And togetherspolu they only formformulář about 15 yearsroky of supplyzásobování.
57
147000
4000
Oba dohromady poskytují zhruba zásoby na 15 let.
02:46
The wholeCelý worldsvět, at 1.2 trillionbilion estimatedodhadnuto reservesrezerv,
58
151000
3000
Celý svět má přibližně 1,2 triliónu zásob,
02:49
only givesdává us about 45 yearsroky.
59
154000
2000
to nám dává přibližně 45 let.
02:51
So, it's not a questionotázka of if, but a questionotázka of when
60
156000
3000
Není to tedy otázka "jestli", je to otázky "kdy"
02:54
peakvrchol oilolej will come uponna us.
61
159000
2000
nás ropná krize dostihne.
02:56
So, to me, usingpoužitím photographyfotografování --
62
161000
2000
Podle mě používáním fotografie -
02:58
and I feel that all of us need to now beginzačít to really
63
163000
3000
a citím, že všichni potřebujeme začít opravdu
03:01
take the taskúkol of usingpoužitím our talentstalentů,
64
166000
2000
využívat našich schopností,
03:03
our wayszpůsoby of thinkingmyslící,
65
168000
3000
našeho uvažování,
03:06
to beginzačít to dealobchod with what I think is probablypravděpodobně
66
171000
2000
abychom se vypořádali s tím, co považuji za
03:08
one of the mostvětšina challengingnáročný issuesproblémy of our time,
67
173000
3000
nejakutnější problém naší doby,
03:11
how to dealobchod with our energyenergie crisiskrize.
68
176000
2000
jak se vyrovnat s naší energetickou krizí.
03:13
And I would like to say that, on the other sideboční of it,
69
178000
2000
A chtěl bych také říci, že na druhou stranu
03:15
30, 40 yearsroky from now, the childrenděti that I have,
70
180000
2000
za 30, 40 let dětem, které mám,
03:17
I can look at them and say, "We did everything
71
182000
2000
budu moct říct: "Udělali jsme všechno,
03:19
we possiblymožná, humanlylidsky could do,
72
184000
3000
co jsme jako listvo mohli dokázat,
03:22
to beginzačít to mitigatezmírnit this,
73
187000
3000
abychom se začali přizpůsobovat tomu,
03:25
what I feel is one of the mostvětšina importantdůležité and criticalkritické
74
190000
2000
co považuji za nejdůležitější a nejkritičtější
03:27
momentsokamžiky in our time. Thank you.
75
192000
3000
moment naší doby. Děkuji Vám.
03:30
(ApplausePotlesk)
76
195000
4000
(Potlesk)
Translated by Simon Buryan
Reviewed by Lucie Sara Zavodna

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Edward Burtynsky - Photographer
2005 TED Prize winner Edward Burtynsky has made it his life's work to document humanity's impact on the planet. His riveting photographs, as beautiful as they are horrifying, capture views of the Earth altered by mankind.

Why you should listen

To describe Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky's work in a single adjective, you have to speak French: jolie-laide. His images of scarred landscapes -- from mountains of tires to rivers of bright orange waste from a nickel mine -- are eerily pretty yet ugly at the same time. Burtynsky's large-format color photographs explore the impact of humanity's expanding footprint and the substantial ways in which we're reshaping the surface of the planet. His images powerfully alter the way we think about the world and our place in it.

With his blessing and encouragement, WorldChanging.com and others use his work to inspire ongoing global conversations about sustainable living. Burtynsky's photographs are included in the collections of over 50 museums around the world, including the Tate, London and the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim in New York City. A large-format book, 2003's Manufactured Landscapes, collected his work, and in 2007, a documentary based on his photography, also called Manufactured Landscapes, debuted at the Toronto Film Festival before going on to screen at Sundance and elsewhere. It was released on DVD in March 2007. In 2008, after giving a talk at the Long Now Foundation, Burtynsky proposed "The 10,000 Year Gallery," which could house art to be curated over thousands of years preserved through carbon transfers in an effort to reflect the attitudes and changes of the world over time. 

When Burtynsky accepted his 2005 TED Prize, he made three wishes. One of his wishes: to build a website that will help kids think about going green. Thanks to WGBH and the TED community, the show and site Meet the Greens debuted at TED2007. His second wish: to begin work on an Imax film, which morphed into the jaw-dropping film Manufactured Landscapes with Jennifer Baichwal. And his third wish, wider in scope, was simply to encourage "a massive and productive worldwide conversation about sustainable living." Thanks to his help and the input of the TED community, the site WorldChanging.com got an infusion of energy that has helped it to grow into a leading voice in the sustainability community.

In 2016, he won a Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts for his work.

More profile about the speaker
Edward Burtynsky | Speaker | TED.com