The Metabolic Landscape

Humankind’s search for energy has sent workers deep into the earth for coal or to metal platforms in dangerous seas in search of oil and gas. Yet, for the majority of us, energy is simply something we pay for when we switch on the light or refuel our motor vehicles. What has been called the energy transition or socio-metabolic transition describes a 200-year period of technological and social change brought about by the increasing use of energy. There is a long tradition of artists engaging with energy and its atmospheric effects. Gina Glover’s photographs of what she refers to as ‘the Metabolic Landscape’ exploit atmospheric and ambient lighting conditions to construct images which draw attention to energy in the landscape and some of its consequences. This project builds upon research visits to coalmines in the Arctic and geothermal plants in Iceland. Newer photography includes in nuclear reactors in France, hydroelectric power in Wales, Photovoltaic ‘sun farms’ in Germany, oil wells and hydraulic fracturing sites in the USA and glacier loss in Greenland.