Controversial photographs that bring us two views of the world. Aluminum mining is not a very pleasant thing for our beautiful Earth, but photographer Kevin Krautgartner wants to lighten the topic of destroying the planet with a little more pleasant photographs resembling oil paintings. The images are taken from a helicopter at an altitude of 300 to 600 meters. Mining is plundering a planet, but you have to admit that the shots look like a work of art at least from another planet, where the deep orange color has spilled and resonated into a similarly colored surface. We like a project in which it is not only about the appearance but also about thinking about our actions towards our home.
„Bauxite ore is the world’s primary source of aluminum. It is a characteristic reddish ore that naturally has a particularly high concentration of aluminum oxides and hydroxides. For this reason, bauxite is particularly suitable for aluminum production – also against the background of the increasing aluminum demand worldwide, because bauxite enables efficient production of the metal. In addition to the very high energy consumption and the escaping heat in the processing of bauxite for the production of aluminum, large areas of the landscape are used in the mining of bauxite, which must be recultivated“.
Photography: Kevin Krautgartner