Viewing Room #2 - Nick Brandt

THIS EMPTY WORLD

This week, scientists revealed that 1 million species are at risk of extinction in the damning UN report. This very unsettling fact is the theme of the most recent body of work 'This Empty World' by celebrated photographer Nick Brandt. His epic, disturbingly beautiful panoramas address the escalating destruction of the natural world at the hands of man.

Moving into color photography for the first time, this monograph of new work from Nick Brandt is both a technical tour de force of contemporary image making and an ambitiously scaled project that uses constructed sets of a scale typically seen in major film productions.

Each image is a combination of two photographs taken weeks apart, almost all from the exact same camera position. The starting point of each composition is always the animal photographed in its native savannah landscape. Brandt then designs and builds sets in the precise location of the original photograph depicting the human developments, such as gas stations, highway and bridge construction sites, and bus stations, that are invading the East African landscape. A second sequence is then photographed with the completed set, populated by a large cast of people drawn from local communities and beyond.

The final images are powerful composites of the two source photographs, which presents the wild animals and the people as equal victims of the environmental--both now aliens in their once-natural, once-native habitat.

Including an introductory essay by Nick Brandt and a descriptive behind-the- scenes section, this new book is a must-have publication for all fans of Brandt's work.

‘As always, the lion was photographed first. Weeks later, with matching lighting, the people were photographed. I was influenced by 19th century American Civil War photos taken on battlefields after the battle was over - the fallen soldiers, the smoke drifting through, the shell-shocked living.

The photo was taken several hours after the people went in front of camera. I wanted them so used to being there that they were unaware of when I took a photo. My hope being that they would feel more natural and unposed.
‘This Empty World’ addresses the escalating destruction of the natural world at the hands of humans, showing a world where, overwhelmed by runaway development, there is no longer space for animals to survive.’

The Viewing Room is our online exhibition space, where visitors can explore and inquire about works by our artists and special collaborations. Viewing online is one thing, but nothing beats seeing works "in the flesh" so feel free to contact us to arrange a private viewing.