Manufactured Landscapes

The film from this past week, Manufactured Landscapes, was quite different from the previous readings and films we have watched thus far. Many of the material we’ve covered deals with issues with our education system, poverty, and social inequality. This film ties in, however, it is the work of a renowned artist, Edward Burtynsky, who travels across China to capture the effects of the massive industrial revolution China experienced. Burtynsky visits numerous “manufactured landscapes” such as e-waste dumps, dams, factories, and factories. One of the sites that was particularly striking was the Three Gorges Dam. This dam has displaced over a million people and is bigger by 50% than other dam in the world. Below is a clip I found about the dam. It outlines some of the controversy behind the dam itself. The dam has become one of the most expensive water projects ever built. It has the equivalence of 20 nuclear power plants and is considered one of China’s most prestigious projects. However, that does not mean it hasn’t had significant detrimental environmental consequences. This dam has polluted the Yangtze River with waste and toxic materials. It has divided the river, decreasing its size. However, its effects were not simply environmental. Rather, the building of the dam has had social costs for the communities that dam replaced. Some of these costs have included relocation and safety. This dam is a perfect example of what I have heard frequently in my environmental and economic classes here at UNCA, as well as in the media. What I mean by this is that with an overwhelming drive towards economic growth countries have put forth effort to grow and these economic profits before the needs of the citizens. China has been developing extremely rapidly and is a major producer in the global economy.

The dam was not all that was surprising to me in this film, though. Over the years, I have seen that so many of the products I pick up and buy have been “made in China”. Since this realization and through my education, I have altered my habits as a consumer. Consequently, the majority of the products I buy are from within the country. Regardless, not all of them can be because of what I can afford, as well as the fact that many things have been outsourced. Simply, I have become more aware of the processes that products go through in the production process. Despite a personal growing understanding of where our products and services come from, my curiosity has not changed regarding the Chinese mentality about the products that they are manufacturing on such a large scale. Burtynsky seems to address that question for me in the opening scenes of his film. The camera slowly scans across the aisles of the work place, people’s faces, and the manufacturing process. It all seems very cold, emotionless, and simply structural. The people perform their duties as though they are robots and many of their facial expressions reveal a sense of apathy. The workers seem to just be completing their duties to get by in their own lives. In my own work environment I am not used to a workplace that is less dynamic. At work, I am encouraged to talk and express my opinion because there is always more you can add and it is like a family. Obviously not all work places are like that and I do understand that what Burtynsky is showing us is not your average family business, but large scale factories, but still it is just weird to me that no one working makes eye contact with one another. It is too industrialized for my liking and I think with an environment like this people lose their personality and become emotionless.

 

The entire time I was watching this film, I found myself noticing the piles of coal, closely aligned buildings, high rises with air conditioners in every window, and polluted waters of the dam. As an environmental major and economics minor my thought processes about all of the industrialization are complicated. I think this film brings light to the environmental degradation of our environment for economic purposes. Yet, simultaneously, it shows the possibilities for economic growth, efficiency, and profit. The imagery Burtynsky uses is quite powerful, so we not only see the industrialization and growth, but also how some of the land has become a dumping ground for waste. The costs and benefits are quite significant on both sides. I think a film like this is meant to shift our consciousness about the issues out there. Personally, I felt that it shined light on the inhumanity of industrialization. Industrialization can make lives more efficient and cost-efficient,; however, it can have safety and human health impacts. It can also result in the relocation of people from their homes. I thought the movie was interesting to say the least. When thinking about my own life while watching his film I could not help but think about the I Have a Dream Foundation. Growing up, I did not have people telling me all about industrialization happening in countries around the world, such as China. Rather, as I grew up, I learned to seek out the information. Even now, it is a controversial issue because there are views that everyone needs to be environmentally conscious and stop such rapid industrialization, but at the same time there can be opposing views that these other countries need to be given the opportunity to industrialize and grow economically. However, there are also many views in between and altering from those I listed. Regardless, I feel like children should be exposed to these issues when younger. It will be difficult to not slant the issues toward one bias or the other, but I think that it will help raise awareness of the issues. A more environmental education needs to begin at a younger age and I think it will help children develop to understand the larger scope of issues in our world. The film itself was very interesting to me and I am not saying it is something that a young child should be required to watch, but it was eye opening and helped me gain a new perspective on the controversy and issues we face globally.