LAND SCAPE
D AV I D L A C H A P E L L E
LAND SCAPE
D AV I D L A C H A P E L L E PAU L K AS M I N GA L L E RY
NEW YORK CITY
DAVID LACHAPELLE: FABLES OF PEAK EVERYTHING by Shana Nys Dambrot The sites depicted in LaChapelle’s LAND SCAPE represent the globally networked industrial infrastructure of oil production and distribution. The Gas Station series was shot on location in the rainforest of Maui, and the Refineries were photographed both in the studio and in remote locations in the expansive deserts and along the majestic California coastline. The eponymous gas stations and refineries that populate LaChapelle’s iconic natural-world locations are staged as architectural avatars of a planet coping with the stresses of peak oil, and really of just peak everything. Yet even as the dazzling, even romantic spectacle and retro-future aesthetic of the buildings distracts from the dangers of their function, the eye is enthralled by their artificial magic. Both bodies of work use elaborately and imaginatively handcrafted scale models, saliently constructed of cardboard and a vast array of recycled and repurposed materials from egg cartons to tea cannisters, drinking straws, chafing trays, hair curlers, fly-swatters, computer motherboards, spray-paint canisters, patio lights, and other by-products of our petroleum-based, disposability-obsessed culture. Scape. n. 1. a leafless flower stalk rising from the ground. 2. Archit. the shaft of a column. n. A scene; a view. Often used in combination: landscape, seascape, mindscape. In the Gas Station photographs, nature seems to have enveloped the fueling stations, gently encroaching on their functionality. The jungle acts as an organic force that is both generative and destructive; it represents the source of fossil fuels, but it also has the power to patiently re-engulf these manmade creations. Like a temple uncovered in a lost Aztec world, their rough edges and painterly artifice support their symbolic
narrative. They are deliberately rough-hewn; industrial slickness is not the goal, but rather to expose the absurdity and vanity of our attempts to harness nature. The vibrant paint, cheeky glitter, forlornly glowing lights that now beckon to no one, and the importance of corrugated cardboard as a child’s building material all conspire to strike a tone of both nostalgia and omen. Their eerie, hauntingly surrealist lighting, dimensionality of the models, attentiveness to precious detail, and the forced perspective in the hero-shot compositions suggest art-historical influences from Edward Hopper’s foreshadowed isolation of the modern American soul to Ed Ruscha’s sanguine critique of LA’s car-culture chic. In the Refineries series, LaChapelle treats more massively complex scenes of energy production as marvelous temples to the petroleum-product array and the lifestyle it makes possible. Bathed in the ethereal light of dusk and aglow from within with an otherworldly quality, we are as captivated by the unnatural monumentality as children at the Magic Kingdom -- until we remember what’s going on inside. Like a science fair in a parallel universe, even as the sheer delight of decoding the MacGyver-esque innovation of the repurposed construction materials captures our imagination, LaChapelle would ultimately have us remember the decidedly unmagical consequences of the reality. The qualities of watery reflections, billowing smoke, saturated colors, and the apocalyptic luminosity of the skies evoke an intense, even operatic, emotional drama. The ordinariness of the stuff of which the passion play is made bring home our own daily participation in this unfolding tragedy. In a way, the refineries are a collective portrait of ourselves, and of the world we have built to serve our desires.
Scape. v. & n. Archaic. Variant of escape. As in 16th-century poet John Donne’s “And to ‘scape stormy days, I choose an everlasting night.” LaChapelle frequently employs the allegorical potential of an edifice as a composite portrait, using economies of scale and architectural vignettes to depict with flourish the reality of “what’s really going on” behind the facade -- that’s both inside America and inside the mind of a modern human. As such, the true subject of these images must always be the inextricability of lifestyle, conscience, consumption, and identity. But on another level, the conceptual roots of the LAND SCAPE pictures run back to his Small World series for 2008’s Auguries of Innocence. Aside from being made at actual Disneyland, itself is a meta-influence on the aesthetic of the new work, what attracted him was the idea of a childlike purity in perception -- hearkening to the young moments before value judgments are imparted and more cynical worldviews codified, when magic is still real and a silly song is a message of hope. That is the state of wonderment induced by the refineries -- before we ever realize how that belies their dangers. The Small World ride, aesthetically speaking, also exists in a disbelief-suspended realm wherein the garish, hyper-stylized artifice is not a problem -- the lavish palette, slap-happy joy, exuberantly racialized stereotypes, and cartoonish surrealism all play; until the jarring juxtaposition to geopolitical reality, and the jolt of seeing it again as an adult, put it into context. It may be a small world after all -- but not if you have to feed it, find it clean water, cure its malaria, or protect it from resource wars, chemical spills, and rising oceans.
THE PASSION OF DAVID LACHAPELLE by Captain Paul Watson Are you prepared to die for a whale? This is a question that I ask of each crew member before we go forth to defend the whales. In fact it is the only question that matters. When critics ask me how dare I ask a young person to risk their life for a whale, my answer is that I have no problem in doing so. Society demands that young people risk their lives and sometimes that they deliberately sacrifice their lives in wars over real estate, religion or resources. It is a far more noble thing to risk your life for a whale than an oil well, an antiquated belief, or a piece of cloth adorned with stars and bars. The difference is that unlike those who ask others to risk all in the fight, I stand with my crew to take the same risks. But we do not risk our lives just for a whale. We do what we do in defense of the ocean for if the oceans die, all of humanity will die! There is nothing more important than the survival of the living ocean. It is the foundation of the life support system for this ocean planet we land-dwelling creatures call the Earth. Ours is a difficult struggle because the enemy is ourselves and somehow we must engage our own species in an effort to shift the dominant paradigm of anthropocentrism to a biocentric lifestyle, one that appreciates the importance of diversity and the interdependence of species. There are four primary things that I look for in an activist. The first is passion. The second is imagination. The third is courage. And the fourth is a sense of humor. I fervently believe that these are the four virtues that can be harnessed to change the world, in fact these are the only virtues that ever have changed the world, for the good or for the bad. And what is an activist? It is a warrior of passion!
It is a person who is passionate about a cause, has the imagination to do something to advance that cause, the courage to implement it and a sense of humor to deal with the hurdles, obstacles, consequences and other negative manifestations of the ecological insanity of humanity. I consider David LaChapelle to be an activist extraordinaire precisely because he is possession of these four essential virtues. He has chosen the Way of the Artist and the path of the communicator. He is extremely passionate about it. He has an exceptional imagination to implement it and the audacious courage to advance it in the face of unknown consequences. And in appreciating his art, it is readily observed that he has a unique sense of humor. I see David as a man so driven by a passion for beauty and truth that he is willing and determined to scrape through the mud and the filth to expose it for the benefit of us all. It is however not a selfless endeavor because David knows that his striving to unveil the truth leads to the path of redemption for all of us, from the collective sins of humanity. I fight the whalers, the shark finners, the fish poachers, the turtle slayers out on the open sea with my ships and crew and we do so with a strategy of non-violence. It is the way of Hayagriva, this thing that the Tibetan Buddhists refer to as the compassionate aspect of the wrath of the Buddha. Not to hurt, but to intimidate and beguile evil in order to transform it to the good. David fights this same evil with his camera and once that camera is in his talented hands he wields it like a wizard’s wand, courageously and with profound imagination. He took that camera and became a superstar in the anthropocentric world and in so doing he exposed himself to the hypocrisies and travesties of our age. He unveiled the madness behind the veneer of what the establishment demands that we see. And then at the height of his success in that world, he departed and returned to Earth, to the reality of what is truly important – the reality of ecological truth
THE THREE LAWS OF ECOLOGY 1. The first law of ecology is diversity. The strength of an eco-system is defined by the diversity of species within it. The same is true of social movements. Diversity of ideas, strategies, tactics, dreams, thoughts, talents, skills and perspectives. There are many approaches to being a warrior for the Earth. David La Chapelle has chosen the Way of the Artist and in doing, he has harnessed the power of his imagination into the service to this wonderful blue and white jewel of a planet. 2. The second law of ecology is interdependence. All species are interdependent upon each other for collective survival. The same is true for social movements. All activists are interdependent, be they educators, litigators, artists, shamans or field warriors. David La Chapelle has transformed one discipline into another, shifted the paradigm to a different reality and in doing so has demonstrated that change can emerge from every perspective. 3. The third law of ecology is the law of finite resources, that there is a limit to growth and thus a limit to carrying capacity. David La Chapelle has demonstrated these limitations through models and photography where images undermine the foundations of waste upon which a civilization has risen and will soon fall. THE CAMERA For four decades I have known and taught that the most powerful weapon on the planet is the camera. It is the tool that shapes modern culture, that elects leaders, topples dictators, creates super-stars and dictates the consumer preferences of billions. Most importantly it is the primary weapon of modern revolution
and when the lens is focused properly, the lighting understood and the subject matter relevant, it is a tool that can shift the paradigm of culture and power. It is also a tool that can help to save our planet and when great photographers are enlisted in the cause of environmental activism, their work is noticed and thus it provokes thought, discussion, controversy and debate. David LaChapelle is a man with a powerful weapon in his hand and he knows how to use it. COMPREHENDING LACHAPELLE Comprehending LaChapelle is like listening to the song of a whale. Images can be as enigmatic as whale song yet understood intuitively. When I hear a whale sing, I feel the intensity of it’s being. When I see David’s images I feel the intensity of his message, and for me that intensity is the primary message. THE REFINERY At first I thought it was a photograph but looking closer revealed that David’s “refinery” is a collection of garbage transformed into a statement. Everything in it is a wasted consumer product. Energy transformed into waste that David has transformed into art and what is art but a statement, an expression of an idea. And that idea is to think about reality from different perspectives and in this case to think about the recycling of energy and the consequences of recycling it irresponsibly. THE STATION What struck me first was the double YY support for the oil station platform. To me this illustrates the aggressiveness of mankind. The oil platform above, the fuel below, laying waste to the sea and fouling the air, the hypocrisy of the logo advertising the black ooze of decayed life forms in the guise of the cleanliness of the sun. THE LUNATIC EXPRESS We are on a train bound for nowhere. The brakes have failed and the speed is accelerating. Ahead, the trestle has collapsed. The environmentalist knows this. The artist feels it. Yet the train speeds on through the darkness as the passengers entertain themselves with distractions.
THE ART Energy crackles through the brain, Synapses spark and erupt into inspiration, Guiding the mind, keeping us sane, Limited only by our imagination. We require only the medium to set it free, Directing our hands, our feet, our voice, Allowing us to feel, to hear, to see, Expression of action our decided choice. Some free this energy through dance, And others are liberated through song, Inspired by adventure and romance, Flowing from a source that can’t go wrong. Some are guided by brush and paints, While others unsheathe and arm their pens with ink, Slapping truth upon canvas like impassioned saints, Splattering words onto paper so people may think. Musical instruments are conduits of sonic light, Stabbing the soul with conflicting emotion, Notes and rhythms putting apathy to flight, Symphonies cascading in tumbling motion. Poets are the manipulators of words and rhyme, Seeking to express the inexpressible urges, Charting the flow of our passions through time, From elated rejoicing to mournful dirges. Singers take words and set them afire, Penetrating our souls with angelic grace, Some burn warm and some flame higher, Turning words into sensual sounds that we can embrace. An optical brush is the camera’s lens, In the hands of an artist, a supreme tool, Where one click can equal a thousand pens, And truth is the only guiding rule. Dancers put us all to shame Convertingthe entire body to an instrument of expression.
With dance there is little that is tame, The whole self becomes a harmonious confession. Art is a discipline of expression, It is the foundation of our evolution, It is our protection from primitive regression, Art is the truest form of revolution. From cave paintings in Southern France, To performances on the modern stage, Music, poetry, sculpture, dance, give humanity a fighting chance, To express our love, our grief, our joy and our rage. Seeing the message on canvas can change our fate, Hearing a song or seeing a photo can revolutionize a nation, The urge within us is to create, And art is the ultimate procreation. -PW
--CAPTAIN PAUL WATSON BORN IN CANADA IN 1950 AND RAISED IN AN EAST COAST CANADIAN FISHING VILLAGE, PAUL WATSON HAS SEEN THE STEADY DIMINISHMENT OF LIFE IN OUR OCEANS FOR OVER HALF A CENTURY. AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN HE BEGAN TO RESCUE BEAVERS FROM LEG-HOLD TRAPS. AT EIGHTEEN HE WAS THE YOUNGEST FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE GREENPEACE FOUNDATION. AT TWENTY-SIX HE ESTABLISHED THE SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY IN 1977. HE HAS LED OVER 200 EXPEDITIONS TO DEFEND LIFE IN THE OCEANS. AUTHOR, EDUCATOR, POET, ACTIVIST. PEOPLE EITHER LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM WITH EQUAL INTENSITY. ALWAYS CONTROVERSIAL, HIS TACTICS HAVE SAVED THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF WHALES AND DOLPHINS, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SEALS AND TURTLES AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FISH AND SEA-BIRDS. AT 63, HE HAS NO PLANS TO RETIRE.
LAND SCAPE: EMERALD CITY, 2013 - CHROMOMERIC PRINT [30 X 38.086 / 50 X 63.477 / 72 X 91.406]
L A N D S C A P E : G R E E N F I E L D S , 2 0 1 3 - C H R O M O M E R I C P R I N T [ 3 0 X 3 1 . 1 / 5 0 X 5 1 . 8 3 4 / 7 2 X 74 . 6 4 1 ]
L A N D S CA P E : LU N A PA R K , 20 1 3 - C H RO M O M E R I C P R I N T [ 30 X 45.035 / 5 0 X 75.0 58 / 72 X 1 0 8 .0 8 3 ]