Copper Geographies (2010-2015)
Although life without copper is hard to imagine, the metal in our cars, energy cables, airplanes and mobile phones remains invisible. This is not the case for the devastating effects copper mining has on the landscape – for every tonne of copper around a hundred tonnes of chemical waste is left in the landscape.
In COPPER GEOGRAPHIES, Ignacio Acosta examines the impact of copper mining on the landscape in Chile, a country that produces more than a third of the world’s copper, and the flow of copper export worldwide. Acosta explores various landscapes in the Atacama Desert with a historical connection to copper mining and shows the transformation of copper ore into capital. He consequently links the mines in Chile to London, the global centre of investments in the mining industry, and challenges the viewer to look behind the seemingly idyllic landscapes, at the hard impact of capitalism.
