A VIRTUAL IN CONVERSATION WITH EDWARD BURTYNSKY AND NICOLE RYCROFT

What has been the impact of humanity's 'progress'? At a moment when the health of our planet needs to be an urgent international priority, where has human activity brought us? And what is the sustainable path forward to protect both people and the planet?

On Monday, June 27, we'll explore these questions and more with internationally renowned photographer, Edward Burtynsky, whose work documents the global growth of industrial landscapes over the last 40 years and bears witness to the impact of humans on a finite planet.

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VIRTUAL EVENT

Join us for a conversation between the RIC’s Director Paul Roth and celebrated Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky, whose iconic images have brought global attention to the impacts of human industry on the natural landscape.

This insightful discussion will focus on Burtynsky’s artistic legacy, and the first two instalments of his multiyear, career-spanning donation of his photographs to the RIC. The first instalment includes more than 100 of Burtynsky’s earliest images from 1970–1989, revealing his origins as an earnest undergraduate photo student at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, making black and white landscape images with a view camera; his use of color to portray industry and human attempts to control nature; and his first photographic print editions, which established his reputation.

The second instalment of more than 50 images, from 1990–1999, illustrates Burtynsky’s artistic evolution and maturity during a period of increasingly ambitious projects and growing international recognition. These images track his innovative adoption of elevated viewpoints, to frame landscapes, industrial sites, extractive manufacturing, and waste practices within a widening consciousness of climate change and environmental jeopardy.

The Edward Burtynsky Collection at the RIC currently comprises over 200 photographs and is on track to become the most comprehensive institutional collection of this important artist's work.

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A VIRTUAL EVENT

Register for Heritage Matters Live with Edward Burtynsky – a free virtual talk presented by the Ontario Heritage Trust.

About this event

In this eye-opening talk ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch, drawn from all he has witnessed during his 40 years bearing witness to the planet’s changing landscapes, photographer and filmmaker Edward Burtynsky discusses – and demonstrates in his incredible, large-scale photographs – that we’ve reached an unprecedented moment in history. Join Burtynsky as he asks us to consider what drives us as a species and about our planet’s future. Burtynsky’s talk is followed by a question-and-answer session hosted by Nahlah Ayed (CBC’s Ideas).

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VIRTUAL WORLD PREMIERE

Luminato Festival Toronto

On October 16, 2021, Luminato Festival Toronto will unveil Edward Burtynsky’s In the Wake of Progress – a fully choreographed blend of photographs and film, including new and never-before-seen works, by world-renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. Created for the screens surrounding Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square, and filmed by Bokeh Collective for the 2021 Festival’s online audience, the piece tells the epic tale of humanity’s impact on the planet through photographs and film from Burtynsky’s 40-year career.

This new 22-minute piece, co-produced by Canadian music legend Bob Ezrin, presents the powerful imagery of global landscapes devastated by human activity in contrast to the dazzling urban centre, at a moment when the health of our planet is an urgent international priority. Edward Burtynsky’s In the Wake of Progress includes an original soundtrack by composer and sound designer Phil Strong, featuring award-winning musical artist iskwē, as well as musicians of The Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory of Music, co-orchestrated and conducted by Claudio Vena.

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VIRTUAL EVENT

Presented by
The Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Since taking on the position of Lieutenant Governor in 2014, the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell has travelled provincially and internationally, with a focus on hearing and sharing stories of sustainability.

As Her Honour’s mandate reaches seven eventful years, the office will be hosting a one-day virtual conference. Shaping Sustainability in Ontario is an opportunity to explore not only what Her Honour has learned but how Ontarians are laying the groundwork for continued positive change for the future, bringing together some of her most memorable and fascinating experiences.

Join us for a day of discussion, critical thinking, and art as we take a deep dive into the work being done across Ontario to shape sustainability. This one-day conference will feature experts, thought leaders, and youth from around Ontario, all with a deep commitment to sustainability. Panels will explore various cross-sections of our society and how sustainable thinking can apply to all aspects of our lives, shaping where and how we live, work, and play.

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A Virtual Event
Centre Culturel Canadien

The Canadian Cultural Centre invites you on February 27th at 8 p.m. to an exceptional encounter between Edward Burtynsky and Sebastião Salgado, interviewed by the journalist and art critic Anaël Pigeat.

The artists will share their views on the conception of major photographic projects, on working in challenging areas, or forbidden and remote zones, and how their images can shine a spotlight on today’s environmental challenges. With great complicity, these two giants of contemporary photography share a profound reflection on how the power of art can help us understand the greatest challenges of our time.

This discussion takes place as part of Edward Burtynsky’s exhibition Mounds and Voids : From Human to Global Scale, curated by Catherine Bédard and presented at the CCC until September 3rd, 2021.

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A VIRTUAL EVENT

nnovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas

The David Sheperd Family Lecture at Trent University Presents, in partnership with the Innovation Cluster are pleased to present world-renowned photographer and TED Prize winner, Edward Burtynsky for an evening keynote about the global water crisis.

Recharge and expand your knowledge on critical issues with global disruptors. All are invited to hear from Canadian environmental trailblazer, from the comfort of home.

In this immersive talk, featuring his spectacular photographs, Burtynsky tells us the story of water: where i​t comes from, and how we use it, distribute it, and waste it. He shows us its remote sources, the transformation of desert into water-rich cities, the compromised landscapes of the American Southwest. He explores the infrastructure of water management: gigantic hydroelectric dams and terraced rice fields in the heart of China, vast irrigation systems of America’s bread basket, and the use of aquaculture. Through his poetic images, Burtynsky reveals a vital component of life on Earth, and foreshadows the extent to which our future depends on how we deal with this increasingly scarce resource.

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A VIRTUAL EVENT

American University Museum

Join photographer Edward Burtynsky and AU Museum Director & Curator Jack Rasmussen for an online discussion.

Join photographer Edward Burtynsky and AU Museum Director & Curator Jack Rasmussen for an online discussion of Burtynsky’s photographic series, Water. The works explore the role of water amidst our current climate crisis, featuring the interconnected role it plays in both healthy ecosystems and modern human life. Learn more about Water on our website.

Water is presented in conjunction with the AU Museum’s fall virtual series “Contested Space,” highlighting issues surrounding November’s presidential election.

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