Items Similar to Nature Trail, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, 10/2013
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5
Olaf Otto BeckerNature Trail, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore, 10/20132013
2013
About the Item
Archival pigment print
Signed and numbered on label, verso
29.5 x 24.8 inches
(Edition of 6)
54.3 x 45.7 inches
(Edition of 6)
70.9 x 58.7 inches
(Edition of 2)
This artwork is offered by ClampArt, located in New York City.
The artist writes:
“While I write these notes to my pictures, my chair and feet are resting on parquet flooring made of merbau, a tropical hardwood that was felled in Indonesia and found its way to Germany by rather circuitous means. My landlord had the parquet flooring laid down long before I moved into this office because it is unusually beautiful and hard-wearing. Like almost all tropical woods, merbau is obtainable only through the destruction of primeval forests, and is readily available in Germany. All of us in the west have heard a great deal about the destruction of the primeval forests, and yet we all remain complicit in it, either directly or indirectly.
“My gaze wanders from my computer screen to the lush, green garden outside my window. It is early July. Warm rain is pouring down. As I watch the blue-green raindrops falling, I am transported back to one of Indonesia’s tropical rainstorms. I see myself seated on my camera bag and huddled beneath a ground sheet, somewhere on an island off Sumatra.
“Often caught in a shower while out photographing, I’ve enjoyed many an afternoon sitting beneath my sheet, listening to the rain loudly pattering down and looking at the warm, humid primeval forest—just sitting there and marveling at this lush, green, living richness. However, the place my memory takes me back to is now no longer forest. Instead, it is a wasteland of black and carbonized earth, strewn with the shells of crabs, lobsters, insects, and snails. The ground beneath the dead animals’ empty husks is burned to a depth of several meters. There’ve been countless times when I’ve waded up to my stomach into the fire-hollowed peat, looking for an image that can capture something of my shock at what I’ve found. My pictures and videos are an attempt to report on what I’ve experienced, on what I’ve seen with my own eyes and what has, for that reason, deeply moved me. For many years I’ve been visiting places where human beings have encountered pristine nature, either directly or indirectly, and I’ve watched as these places have shrunk at an alarming rate. While researching the subject, it first seemed to me almost paradoxical that the so-called western world was behind both the destruction of the primary habitats and the attempts to protect them. I saw how both sides in the conflict were using impoverished and poorly-educated local populations for their own interests. For the most part, local people can only powerlessly watch as these dramatic changes take place.
“Power often belongs to others. In the majority of places, large corporations already probably wield more influence than the entire elected representatives of people across the world ever had. The power of this economic system has now become so extensive and so complexly amorphous that it is very difficult to grasp. Corporations tend to react to legislation and other attempts to control their actions simply by strategically shifting their position, almost always acting to their own advantage and in a manner that will protect their profits. At the end of the day, moderate and sustainable behavior is just not a profitable approach for them. Corporate ethics are applied only where they are useful—and then only as a cosmetic exercise, a pretence that can be dropped at any time, whose sole function is to promote the production and marketing of products.
“There is now good reason to believe that this planet is being changed ever more quickly and uncontrollably by human overpopulation, high material expectations, new technological developments, and general opportunism—and that it is a change to the detriment of all life on earth. Only a rapid countermovement could still avert the destructive consequences of this way of behaving. If that doesn’t happen, we will probably gamble away any remaining chances for future generations.
“My photographs from the project, ‘Reading the Landscape,’ document the changes to landscape caused by overpopulation and the uncontrolled usage of Earth’s resources. Humans destroy primary forests, which have been growing for millions of years, within decades. Within the last thirty years almost ninety percent of the forests in Indonesia have been destroyed and replaced by monoculture. At the same time, humans create a version of nature according to their own imaginations in the megacities of the world, turning nature into a product.
“‘Reading the Landscape’ shows three states of nature in the primary forests of Indonesia and Malaysia: intact nature, ravaged nature, and artificial nature. Altogether, the project documents a fatal ecological and economic process that has progressed beyond the point of reversibility.”
For more than 30 years, landscape photography has constituted the main topic of Olaf Otto Becker’s photographic work. He is especially interested in documenting the visible traces of human overpopulation left behind in nature. It is these traces that make clear how exactly humans treat the planet. After thorough research, Becker usually works for a couple of years on one specific subject. He then publishes his results in the form of a book. While single images are of great importance, it is sequences that tell his stories in depth. Becker regards himself as an artist as well as an eyewitness to the changes of our times.
- Creator:Olaf Otto Becker (1959, German)
- Creation Year:2013
- Dimensions:Height: 29.5 in (74.93 cm)Width: 24.8 in (63 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New York, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU93232993311
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 2000
1stDibs seller since 2018
236 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New York, NY
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Bushfire Lit to Clear Land, Australia, 2008By Olaf Otto BeckerLocated in New York, NYThree archival pigment prints Each signed and numbered on label, verso 29.5 x 74.4 inches, overall (Edition of 5) 54.3 x 137.1 inches, overall (Edition of 5) This artwork is offer...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Ilulissat 11, 07/2016By Olaf Otto BeckerLocated in New York, NYArchival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 24.8 x 29.5 inches (Edition of 6) 43.7 x 52.4 inches (Edition of 7) 58.7 x 70.9 inches (Edition of 2) 72.1 x 88.2 inch...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Ilulissat 01, 07/2016By Olaf Otto BeckerLocated in New York, NYArchival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 24.8 x 29.5 inches (Edition of 6) 43.7 x 52.4 inches (Edition of 7) 58.7 x 70.9 inches (Edition of 2) 72.1 x 88.2 inch...Category
2010s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- River 4, 07/2008, Position 6By Olaf Otto BeckerLocated in New York, NYArchival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 24.8 x 29.5 inches (Edition of 5) 45.7 x 54.3 inches (Edition of 5) 58.7 x 70.9 inches (Edition of 2) This artwork is ...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- River 2, 07/2008, Position 4By Olaf Otto BeckerLocated in New York, NYArchival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 24.8 x 29.5 inches (Edition of 5) 45.7 x 54.3 inches (Edition of 5) 58.7 x 70.9 inches (Edition of 2) This artwork is ...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Nuluk, Giesecke IcefjordBy Olaf Otto BeckerLocated in New York, NYArchival pigment print Signed and numbered on label, verso 24.8 x 29.5 inches (Edition of 5) 45.7 x 54.3 inches (Edition of 5) 58.7 x 70.9 inches (Edition of 2) This artwork is ...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
You May Also Like
- "Valley Eyewear 1414" Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben CopeBy Ben CopeLocated in Culver City, CA"Valley Eyewear 1414" Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Ben Cope is a Los Angeles based portrait artist with a BFA in ceramic sculpture and photography from Columbus State University. He maintains a successful career with a diverse portfolio including fashion, editorial, celebrity portraiture and advertising. He is widely known for his celebrity and fashion portraiture, which has been published internationally in publications such as Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, GQ, The Work Magazine, Fucking Young, and l’Officiel, and has shot international campaigns for such clients as Adidas, L’Oréal, Paul Mitchell, and Vidal Sassoon. He has photographed Selena Gomez, Jennifer Lopez, David Lynch, Alex Rodriguez...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Untitled (Nr. 0006) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope & Rowan DalyBy Ben CopeLocated in Culver City, CAUntitled (Nr. 0006) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope & Rowan Daly Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Ben Cope + Rowan Daly Off the Grid Off the Grid is the culmina...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Untitled (Nr. 0025) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope & Rowan DalyBy Ben CopeLocated in Culver City, CAUntitled (Nr. 0025) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope & Rowan Daly Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Ben Cope + Rowan Daly Off the Grid Off the Grid is the culmina...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Untitled (Nr. 0737) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 24 by Ben Cope & Rowan DalyBy Rowan DalyLocated in Culver City, CAUntitled (Nr. 0737) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 24 by Ben Cope & Rowan Daly Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Ben Cope + Rowan Daly Off the Grid Off the Grid is the culmina...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- "SF DRIVE 0007" Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben CopeBy Ben CopeLocated in Culver City, CA"SF DRIVE 0007" Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Ben Cope is a Los Angeles based portrait artist with a BFA in ceramic sculpture ...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment
- Untitled (Nr. 0584) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope & Rowan DalyBy Ben CopeLocated in Culver City, CAUntitled (Nr. 0584) Photography 18" x 24" Edition of 20 by Ben Cope & Rowan Daly Unframed - ships rolled in a tube Ben Cope + Rowan Daly Off the Grid Off the Grid is the culmina...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Photography
MaterialsArchival Pigment