Terraforming: Olana’s Historic Photography Collection Unearthed

This book explores the concept of terraforming and the use of photography to document the sediments of previous civilizations within the context of the 250-acre earthwork at Frederic Edwin Church's Olana in Hudson, New York. It features over 130 19th-century images and documentation of an artistic intervention by David Hartt.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 07 November 2023
Publisher: The Olana Partnership

Published for an exhibition curated by artist David Hartt, this volume focuses on the concept of terraforming—how land is shaped for human use throughout history—within the unique context of the monumental 250-acre earthwork at Frederic Edwin Church's Olana in Hudson, New York. The book is composed of over 130 19th-century images, drawn from Olana's permanent collection, by Désiré Charnay, Eadweard Muybridge, and Carleton Watkins; these are seen as a nascent technology that became tools for expanding empires that used photography to chart new frontiers and to document the sediments of previous civilizations. The book also features documentation of the newly commissioned artistic intervention by Hartt that responds to the historic context of Olana itself, the artistic legacy of Church, and the way land is constantly shaped and reformed to reflect different and competing cultural values.

The book explores the complex relationship between landscape, photography, and empire, examining how these three elements have shaped the historical and cultural landscape of the United States. It also explores the ways in which these elements have been used to construct and maintain power structures, as well as to promote cultural values and ideologies. The book is divided into four chapters, each of which focuses on a different aspect of the relationship between landscape, photography, and empire. The first chapter explores the historical and cultural significance of landscape in the United States, examining how it has been used to define and represent national identity, as well as to promote specific political and economic agendas. The second chapter explores the role of photography in shaping the historical and cultural landscape of the United States, examining how it has been used to document and promote specific landscapes and to construct and maintain power structures. The third chapter explores the relationship between landscape, photography, and empire in the context of the American West, examining how these three elements have been used to construct and maintain the myth of the "Wild West" and to promote specific cultural values and ideologies. The fourth chapter explores the relationship between landscape, photography, and empire in the context of the American South, examining how these three elements have been used to construct and maintain the myth of the "Old South" and to promote specific cultural values and ideologies.

Dimension: 298 x 210 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9798987667507