honorable mention
Troels Bjerre denmark
title
Human Intervention
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entry description
With only 42.933 km2 shared by a population of 5,8 million inhabitants, fertile soils suitable for intense agriculture and a humid temperate climate, Denmark is a country where every m2 has a purpose and every m2 is accounted for. The landscape is constructed through human marshalling of natural resources – even where nature is top priority. In fact, pristine nature is nonexistent, and what’s considered pristine anyway, is usually managed carefully. In this ongoing project I explore the altered landscapes of Denmark. I’m not searching for the remains of what once was, but for the present patterns of human appropiation. Even though it might sound like blending oil and water, my intention is to have a slightly topographic approach (kind of like an Anthropocene frontier) while taking advantage of the intimacy I have gained through a lifelong acquaintance with the landscape. Through the project I want to present an alternative perspective on the danish countryside – an alternative to the preferred romantic and pastoral view favoured by the majority and comfortably affirmed and celebrated through mass produced pictures of beauty spots where the dream of the land reaches a melodramatic climax. My attention is directed towards spaces and places where human intervention is pronounced. I want to examine the visual aspects of relations between modes of human occupance and the space that humans appropriate and construct in the Anthropocene landscape.about the photographer
I’m a 48 years old, self-taught and quite nerdy landscape photographer from Denmark. Besides exploring the Anthropocene landscapes of Denmark through my viewfinder I’m first and foremost the husband of my amazing wife and father of three lovely kids we have brought into this beautiful and troubled world. Considering the trouble’s we are facing, I’m trying to make a difference through my professional life as a hydrogeologist specialized in drinking water supply and sustainable water ressources management. I know my contribution is probably minuscule on a global scale, but it makes perfect sense to me. For me landscape photography is a great contrast to my professional life. Or maybe it was. Maybe it has turned into a great companion. The funny thing is that the imagined borders between my professional life and the playground I call photography are fading. The time where it was just a pleasant pastime are gone. Now it’s much more than that. My background as a geologist and the challenges our civilization are facing in the era of Anthropocene has gradually changed my subject preferences over the last couple of years. Again and again I find myself pointing the camera in the opposite direction of everybody around me. But it makes perfect sense to me. And making sense of it all, is what keeps me going on a daily basis, even though it might be a challenge from time to time when existential anxiety comes crawling in.back to gallery
