from “Dark Clouds” by Ian Teh
In the last post I mentioned a new online photo-magazine, Deep Sleep Magazine and used one of the images from photographer Ian Teh to showcase the excellent of quality of the work at this new online project. Here I like to expand more about the work of Ian Teh as his photography is too good and interesting to pass it on the side.
Ian Teh is a member of the prestigious photo agency VU, and his work focuses most in documenting social, political and environmental issues and has made China a key focus of his current documentary work. If you browse through the galleries at his website you will find quite a diversity of projects, but perhaps the most striking are under the series “China Undercurrents” a project that has just been published in a photo-book by Timezone 8. Most of anything, I love how he masters the use of color to create images that are delicate, where the hues serve to convey a very elegant aesthetic quality and become part of the message. The use of color, the smooth tonality, serves to mold a cohesive language that strengthens the story.
from “Dark Clouds” by Ian Teh
The circumstances covered by the photo assay Vanishing, part of China Undercurrents, are quite amazing. The project spans the 700 km from Chongqing in the west to Sandouping in the east, to document the land and the people affected by the Three Gorges Dam project.
The Three Gorges Dam project, first conceived by Mao in the 1970s and due for completion in 2009, is one of superlatives: the dam will be 185 m tall and 2 km long. Behind its vast walls, a reservoir will stretch over 650 km to the port of Chongqing, forming the biggest artificial lake in the world. On completion, thirteen cities, 400 towns and 1352 villages will be submerged and, as a result, two million people will eventually lose their homes. It is a grand vision for the leaders who in return promise the Chinese a 10 per cent increase of energy supply and an end to the deadly floods that regularly threaten millions of lives.
from “Vanishing” by Ian Teh
Another striking project is Dark Clouds where Ian focuses on the impact in the environment of coal related industries in China, the consequences of economical progress that keeps ignoring that there is no real progress if it is accompanied with the destruction of environment.
Perhaps the best way to see his work beside his personal website is to visit his galleries at agency VU. Quite extraordinary work.
from “Vanishing” by Ian Teh
{ 2 } Comments
Thank you for pointing out this fine magazine and incredible photographer!
Ian is definitely one of the finest. Great writing here Miguel. I live for articles of this sort.
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[...] But still. Check out the discussions section on BURN magazine. Some interesting things there… Some new directions? Here’s a great list of where to [...]
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