Photography and environmental activism: visualising the struggle against industrial pollution

Abstract

"This publication maps out key moments in the history of environmentalist photography, while also examining contemporary examples of artistic practice. Historically, photography has acted as a technology for documenting the industrial transformation of the world around us; usually to benefit the interests of capitalist markets. An alternative photographic tradition exists, however, in which the indexical image is used "evidentially" to protest against incidents of industrial pollution. By providing a definition of environmental activism in photographic praxis, and identifying influential practitioners, this publication demonstrates that photography plays a vital role in the struggle against environmental despoliation. This book will be of interest to scholars in photography, art and visual culture, environmental humanities, and the history of photography"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

Toxic foam and the valorisation of capital -- (Re)visiting histories of environmental subjugation -- The ugly subject of industrial pollution -- Plastic taxonomies & the symbiotic real -- Environmental photography or photography & environmental activism -- The politics of the sublime(s) -- Multimodality & the political agency of the photobook -- (Hyper-)photography & the emancipatory potential of augmentation.