The Elements

by Edward Burtynsky, Unknown Author

This book presents a visual, largely chronological journey through the discovery of chemical elements over three millennia. It offers insights into how our understanding of the world's composition evolved, from a craft of trial and error to a rational modern science that drives innovation in materials and drugs. Unlike other books, it focuses on the visual history of elements, featuring alchemical documents, portraits, color charts, mining woodcuts, artifacts like John Dalton's wooden balls, advertisements, and postage stamps. The book is organized into sections representing different eras of element discovery, with each element or group having its own short section. It also includes 'interludes' highlighting significant milestones in our understanding of elements.

Hardcover

About the author

Edward Burtynsky is regarded as one of the world's most accomplished contemporary photographers. His remarkable photographic depictions of global industrial landscapes represent over 40 years of his dedication to bearing witness to the impact of human industry on the planet. Burtynsky's photographs are included in the collections of over 80 major museums around the world, including the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa; the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York; the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid; the Tate Modern in London, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in California.

Burtynsky was born in 1955 of Ukrainian heritage in St. Catharines, Ontario. He received his BAA in Photography/Media Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) in 1982, and has since received both an Alumni Achievement Award (2004) and an Honorary Doctorate (2007) from his alma mater. He is still actively involved in the university community, and sits on the board of directors for The Image Centre (formerly Ryerson Image Centre).

In 1985, Burtynsky founded Toronto Image Works, a darkroom rental facility, custom photo laboratory, digital imaging, and new media computer-training centre catering to all levels of Toronto's art community.

Early exposure to the General Motors plant and watching ships go by in the Welland Canal in Burtynsky’s hometown helped capture his imagination for the scale of human creation, and to formulate the development of his photographic work. His imagery explores the collective impact we as a species are having on the surface of the planet — an inspection of the human systems we've imposed onto natural landscapes.

Exhibitions include: The Great Acceleration at New York’s International Center of Photography (2025); BURTYNSKY: Extraction/Abstraction which premiered at London’s Saatchi Gallery (February 2024) before touring to M9 in Mestre, Italy; Anthropocene (2018) at the Art Gallery of Ontario and National Gallery of Canada (international touring exhibition); Water (2013) at the New Orleans Museum of Art and Contemporary Art Center in Louisiana (international touring exhibition); Oil (2009) at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. (five-year international touring show), China (toured internationally from 2005 - 2008); Manufactured Landscapes at the National Gallery of Canada (toured from 2003 - 2005); and Breaking Ground produced by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (toured from 1988 - 1992). Burtynsky's visually compelling works are currently being exhibited in solo and group exhibitions around the globe.