Digging and Leftover: Holes, Debris, and Tailings in the Photograph of the Productive Landscape in Chile

Abstract

This article inquires into various moments captured by the photographic gaze upon Chilean productive landscapes linked to the mining industry, showcasing its inherent inclination to mark, pierce, and transform the territory while displacing vast masses of earthly matter, generating and discarding residues. Methodologically, it advocates for a substantiated discourse that analytically describes aspects of contemporary photographers’ works in contrast to examples from earlier periods. Simultaneously, it relies on the direct testimony of the authors regarding their experiences and interests in the photographed locations. This comparative approach is executed concerning four sets of works, resonating to construct possible relationships, recurrences, or discontinuities. The developed analytical discourses prominently reveal that contemporary photography of mining in Chile, from its artistic and authorial perspective, transcends its instrumental role concerning the industry or institutions. Instead, it engages in a performative production of devices demanding an active role from the viewer. This demands an ability to peel back the complexities of the aesthetic device while simultaneously triggering a political thought through the pain evoked by understanding what has been documented. This shift underscores the transformation of photography into a tool not solely for representation but as an agent provoking active engagement and political contemplation, driven by the comprehension of the depicted realities.