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Book Review
Footprint: Our Landscape in Flux. Stuart Franklin, Heike Strelow. Thames & Hudson, 2008
Reviewed by Bea Ayling
The objective of this collection of photographs is clear and simple - to highlight the human impact on the changing environment, and it does just that. Stuart Franklin's European-focused photos, presenting problems varying from flooding in Germany and retreating glaciers in the Alps to human industrialisation and globalisation in Spain and Russia, reveal a stark reality, which is both beautiful and tragic.
Following a successful photography career in the media, Stuart Franklin began an undergraduate degree at Oxford University in 1997 where his interest in the environment developed. He then carried out a doctorate and continued to research political ecology for the UN. The photographer has skilfully combined his two enthusiasms in this book.
In many of the photos, the sky has been eliminated to focus the viewer’s eye on the issue in hand. An particular favourite of mine was taken at Cuevas de Almanzona, Almeria, Spain. One half of the picture is taken up by a cactus being strangled by a garden hose and the other half reveals a golf course in the background. It seems to represent the human occupation of the natural world, the hose; a man-made creation, constricting the planet’s resources.
Another stand-out photo is of a solar thermal power plant in Seville, Spain showing a 'forest' of mirrors on poles - that uncannily reminded me of trees - used to harness the sun's energy. These mirrors were situated in a waste ground, presumably blocking sunlight from reaching the earth. This struck a chord in me as it brought to light the trade-off between renewable carbon-neutral power generation and ecological degradation, which is barely mentioned when discussing the costs and benefits of this type of energy source capture.
It's these shocking photos that can reach out to the public and raise awareness of the need to stop climate change. They also emphasise the need for environmentalists to consider the impact of sustainable and carbon-neutral technologies on ecosystems. A simple, startling picture of a thermo-electric power station dominating a scrubby, smoky landscape in Megalopolis, Greece is the best example in the whole book as its powerful message is unmistakable: humans have created climate change, and it’s our responsibility to prevent it.
A selection of photos from the book are available online.