The documentary “Manufactured Landscapes” by Edward Burtynsky was an eye opener for me. I have seen the film twice before, so I was already familiar with the theme of the movie. Its relation to visual culture though was a little but difficult for me to decipher. At first, I sort of thought that the techniques that were used in the movie proved effective. By zooming in on one spot of the images, and then zooming out, was a really neat way of showing how we might not see the whole picture when we look at something. I think it followed the the theme of the movie very well, because I never knew any of that stuff was going on in China before seeing this movie. It made me think that maybe not all things on the world can be solved. There is always the perception in society that if something needs to be fixed, that it will be fixed by someone else, someone who cares. Whenever there is a disease, there is always some sort of charity to find a cure. What is there for China? We can’t do anything about what is going on over there because it is the governments choice to run the counrty that way.
The images in the movie I think held a slightly different meaning than the actual documentary. When looking at the pictures just on thier own, the perception that I got was that they were being taken to show the beauty of the “manufactured landscapes.” These landscapes are a result of industrialization, and they are man made. We also cannot totally reverse what we have done to the natural environment, so by taking what we have now and appreciating it for its own beauty, we can accept that the man made landscapes are always going to be. Now taking the documentary into consideration, the meaning for me now changes to a feeling of despair, and helplessness in a world that is driven by money and power. The scale of destruction that humans have had on the environment and ecosystems is increasingly getting greater. And now, by seeing the pictures with the story behind them, we can also see that we are harming ourselves in the process. It is dangerous for people to be living on top of toxic wastes, sharp plastic edges, rusty metal, but the demand for consumer products is driving corporations to produce more, and find ways of getting it to the consumers faster. Building new transportation routes to accomplish this is also hindering the environment, and it is just becoming a vicious circle. Even though there is no clear message in this film, it is sort of left up to the veiwer to think what they want. In my thoughts, I think that something should be done so that the environment can be preserved, but will I stop buying products that are made in China? Not likely. It is almost impossible to live a westernized lifestyle without doing damage to the environment, which is the devastating fact about living in the post-modern age.
