I recently had the chance to see some of Christina Seely's work at the Photographic Resource Center in Boston. She is currently working on a project entitled "Lux", which consists of large-scale night photographs from highly urbanized cities around the world. Seely has focused on the United States, Western Europe and Japan, the three regions that consume the most energy and consequently produce the greatest amount of environmentally harmful emissions. The project title takes its name from a system unit for the measurement of illumination.
She denies her viewers the ability to connect emotionally to these places, opting instead for geographical anonymity. Seely has simply titled each photograph Metropolis, with a corresponding compass point denoting the location of each
photograph. The most thought provoking aspect to Christina Seely's photographs is summed up in her statement, when she declares, "Lux...is a photographic project-in-progress inspired by the disconnect between the immense beauty produced by man-made light and what this light represents." Seely raises important questions about our dependence on energy in an age of environmental disregard. As beautiful as artificial light can be, this beauty comes at an extremely high cost to the economy and our planet. By avoiding individual connotations, the images can be viewed more easily for what they truly represent; a planet's excessive consumption of man-made energy.
-Ben Alper
From Top to Bottom:
Christina Seely, Metropolis: 51°29’N 0°0’W
Christina Seely, Metropolis: 40°25’N 3°41’W
All Images Copyright the Artist
