Teaching Global Perspectives on the Environment through

Contemporary Art:Bangladesh Shipyard Photographs by

Burtynsky

BANGLADESH at a glance

Population total (2012) 155,000,000Literacy rate (7 years and above) 51.8%

Average monthly income per capita $83.33

http://www.changebangladesh.com/gallery

http://www.bdwebguide.com/map.htm

http://www.vbmap.org/asia-maps-7/south-asia-political-map-91/

Facts about the shipbreaking yards of Bangladesh

• The beaches of Chittagong , Bangladesh, are a massive junk yard for old ships and tankers. This is the one of the biggest ship breaking yard in the world!

Facts about the Shipbreaking Yard of Bangladesh

• In one year, as many as 25,000 poorly dressed employees with no protective gear, break down 250 ships for scrap steel, cables, generators, nuts and bolts.

Facts about the Shipbreaking Yard of Bangladesh

• The ground is filled with heavy metals, investigations have shown, and the vegetation on the beach that once protected the low land from floods is long gone.

Facts about the Shipbreaking Yard of Bangladesh

• Bangladesh is the port of choice for two reasons:1.) The labor is cheap. Workers, many of whom are children, earn about four dollars a day pulling apart the hulls by hand.

Facts about the Shipbreaking Yard of Bangladesh

2.) Safety standards are poor , often with little to no safety equipment. The workers inhale noxious fumes and are vulnerable to electrocution, falling debris, and explosions fueled by residual oil. Fifteen ship breakers died in 2012, mainly from falling, getting caught in fires, or being crushed.

Edward Burtynsky, a native of St. Catherines, Ontario, has become internationally well known for his documentation of industrial sites all over the world.

When he was eleven years old, Burtynsky saw an ad in the newspaper for some used photo equipment being sold by an elderly widow. He bought it all for 25 dollars and began by setting up a darkroom in his parents’ basement.

Burtynsky received a B.A. in Photography and Media studies from Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in Toronto.

Meet the PhotographerWho is Edward Burtynsky?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ed_Burtynsky_(38148537).jpg

Lesson Suggestions

Pick one photograph from the following shots of the Chittagong shipbreaking yard taken by Edward Burtynsky. Ask the students the following questions:

What was the first thing you noticed?

What emotions do you feel when looking at the photo?

What do you think the photographer was trying to say in this photo?

What more do you want to know?

Write a short paragraph explaining what attracted you to that particular photo including the following.

How can this photo be connected to subjects such as social studies, science and art?

What have you learned by viewing this photo?

Can you suggest a possible solution to this environmental and work-safety hazard?

Edward Burtynsky makes a wish: that his images –– stunning landscapes that document humanity's impact on the world –– help persuade millions to join a global conversation on sustainability.

http://www.ted.com/speakers/edward_burtynsky.html

Homework AssignmentTake a walk around your neighborhood, your home, or a public space. Take a photograph, or find a photo, which you think will stimulate conversation. What do you see? Is the use of color and light influential? What about the images and their form? How do they affect you?

http://www.shipbreakingbd.info/

http://www2.oakland.edu/shatteringearth/iconography.cfm

http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/

http://www.slate.com/blogs/atlas_obscura/2013/10/02/dirty_dangerous_and_deadly_the_shipbreaking_yards_of_bangladesh.html

http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/site_contents/Photographs/Water.html

http://www.ted.com/talks/edward_burtynsky_on_manufactured_landscapes.html