human activity in nature

Land Arts of the American West

2011

Alexander Bingham

C O N T E N T S

03 I N T R O D U C T I O N

07 M A N & N AT U R E

31 R O A D S A N D F E N C E S

71 E N T R O P Y

99 T R A C K S A N D T R A C E S

l a n d s c a p e

noun

01. all the visible features of an area of land, often considered in terms of their

aesthetic appeal

a picture representing an area of countryside

[mass noun] the genre of landscape painting

the distinctive features of a sphere of activity

02. [as modifi er] denoting a format of printed matter which is wider than it is

high

verb[with object]

01. improve the aesthetic appearance of (an area) by changing its contours, adding ornamental features, or planting

trees and shrubs[1]

I N T R O D U C T I O N

Peirce F. Lewis “All human landscape has cultural meaning, no matter how ordinary that landscape may be... Our human landscape is our unwitting autobiography, refl ecting our tastes, our values, our aspirations, and even our fears, in tangible, visible form.”[2]

The word landscape denotes multiple things. It is the objective physical features of rocks, foliage, and water and at the same time, it is a cultural subjective term full of varied interpretations and appropriations. If the fi rst is the way things are in a landscape, the later would be the perceived landscape seen or landscape of the mind. Fundamentally though both of these defi nitions share the inseparable underlaying concept of nature. Human Activity in Nature reveals our cultural understanding and the meaning of landscape to be for human betterment. In cultivating land for rent, agricultural, energy, or infrastructure, we are ultimately changing or altering our surroundings to best suit us.

To examine the presence of human intervention in landscape, most of the photographs are composed mainly of nature with focused points of human activity. To accomplish this balance, I sought out wilderness and natural places to frame my study. What I came to discover was that even in the most remote of remote places the presence of human activity could still be found. If wilderness is defi ned as without human activity we are nearing a time, if we have not already arrived, where on the surface of the earth there is no more wilderness. This could also be said for nature if we look at the collectively agreed geologic term, Anthropocene.

There are also the arguments of not separating humans from nature and the fallacy of how signifi cant humans impact on the world really is but in the end I hope that the following photographs will at least open a discussion about what is landscape, wilderness or Nature, and how we (humankind) fi t into it all.

Over the span of three months while traveling to New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah with the 2011 Land Arts of the American West fi eld program under Texas Tech University, I shoot 6,536 photographs 57 of which made it into this book. They have been ordered according to directed narrative revolving around the interactions of humans and nature.

M A N & N A T U R E

R O A D S & F E N C E S

E N T R O P Y

T R A C K S & T R A C E S

L I S T O F W O R K

Twin Buttes, NM - 08.26.11 01 08

Twin Buttes, NM - 08.26.11 02 10

White Sands, NM - 08.27.11 01 12

Highway, NM - 08.30.11 01 62

jack Pile Mine, NM - 08.31.11 01 104

jack pile overlook, NM - 08.31.11 02 108

Road, UT - 09.05.11 01 50

Salt Flats, UT - 09.06.11 01 14

Spiral jetty, UT - 09.06.11 02 16

Oil Jetty, UT - 09.06.11 03 18

Pier, UT - 09.06.11 04 20

Boneville, UT - 09.09.11 01 110

Wendover, UT - 09.11.11 01 72

Wendover, UT - 09.11.11 02 78

Wendover, UT - 09.11.11 03 80

Road, UT - 09.11.11 04 68

South Base, UT - 09.11.11 05 34

Junk Pile, UT - 09.12.11 01 84

Coach Findings, UT - 09.12.11 01 86

Vehicular Anarchy, UT - 09.12.11 02 82

Marfa, TX - 09.29.11 01 40

Divided House, TX - 09.30.11 01 96

Highway 17, TX - 10.02.11 01 36

Medicine Cabinet, TX - 10.03.11 01 89

Birds Nest, TX - 10.03.11 02 88

Abandoned House, TX - 10.03.11 03 77

Abandoned House, TX - 10.03.11 04 76

Overgrowth Gate, TX - 10.03.11 05 90

Overgrowth Car, TX - 10.03.11 06 91

Rail Road Mountain, NM - 10.06.11 01 46

Neighbor Development, NM - 10.08.11 01 66

Bucket, NM - 10.08.11 02 22

Railroad Mountain 02, NM - 10.08.11 03 44

Displacement, NM - 10.08.11 04 24

Power Lines, NM - 10.09.11 01 26

Power Reminder, NM - 10.09.11 02 112

Water Need, NM - 10.09.11 03 25

name pg.

Twin Buttes, NM - 08.26.11 01 08

White Sands, NM - 08.27.11 01 12

jack Pile Mine, NM - 08.31.11 01 104

Road, UT - 09.05.11 01 50

Spiral jetty, UT - 09.06.11 02 16

Pier, UT - 09.06.11 04 20

Wendover, UT - 09.11.11 01 72

Wendover, UT - 09.11.11 03 80

South Base, UT - 09.11.11 05 34

Coach Findings, UT - 09.12.11 01 86

Marfa, TX - 09.29.11 01 40

Highway 17, TX - 10.02.11 01 36

Birds Nest, TX - 10.03.11 02 88

Abandoned House, TX - 10.03.11 04 76

Overgrowth Car, TX - 10.03.11 06 91

Neighbor Development, NM - 10.08.11 01 66

Railroad Mountain 02, NM - 10.08.11 03 44

Power Lines, NM - 10.09.11 01 26

Water Need, NM - 10.09.11 03 25

Advertise Here, NM - 10.09.11 04 74

Highway Here, NM - 10.09.11 05 42

Road Here, NM - 10.11.11 01 52

Road Here, NM - 10.12.11 01 49

Resting Rest Room, AZ - 10.15.11 01 92

Trail Here, AZ - 10.16.11 01 48

Tree Cut, AZ - 10.16.11 02 100

Chiricahua, AZ - 10.18.11 01 94

House Here, NM - 10.19.11 01 29

San Agustin, NM - 10.20.11 01 60

Mile 1, NM - 10.20.11 02 58

Fence Here, NM - 10.20.11 03 32

Back Road, NM - 10.20.11 04 56

VLA, NM - 10.21.11 01 28

Dividing Road, NM - 10.22.11 02 64

Tire Tracks, NM - 10.23.11 01 103

Rolling Roads, NM - 10.23.11 02 54

name pg.

Advertise Here, NM - 10.09.11 04 74

Road Here, NM - 10.11.11 01 52

Resting Rest Room, AZ - 10.15.11 01 92

Tree Cut, AZ - 10.16.11 02 100

House Here, NM - 10.19.11 01 29

Mile 1, NM - 10.20.11 02 58

Back Road, NM - 10.20.11 04 56

Dividing Road, NM - 10.22.11 02 64

Rolling Roads, NM - 10.23.11 02 54

W O R K S C I T E D

1 “landscape”. Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford Dictionaries. April 2010. Oxford University Press. http:// oxforddictionaries.com/defi nition/landscape (accessed November 16, 2011).

2 Adams, Robert. 2009. New topographics. Tucson, AZ: Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona.