burningman portrait project

[dan husted]

To all the Burners...

My name is Dan Husted, I'm a photographer based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

I will be attending the Burning Man 2007 together with friends from LA. This is my first time at BM and I want to contribute as a participant by doing a portrait project that has a impact.

Each year we let out more and more Co2 in to the atmosphere. Denmark and the United States are among the countries in the world that lets out most Co2 per capita.

How can we deal with this problem from day to day? Can we do anything at all?

I think so. But first, we have to get people to be aware about Co2 emissions. We also need to understand that small things matter in the big picture and that we all have a responsibility to make this planet a better place for our next generations.

What does this have to do with my project?

I want to portray the people at BM in black and white studio photography in the style of Richard Avedon. The contrast between the colorful and different people of the playa will make the pictures very powerful and intense. The fact that I'm shooting the people in a "studio" will also add to the intensity of the photographs.

So what is the link between Co2 and black and white portraits of the people at BM?

With black and white photography, the viewer must imagine the colors that they do not see in the photos. The color is in life, but in the photos, it is invisible to the viewer. I'm trying to portray that this example is similar to Co2. We cannot see Co2, but it is all around us and it has an impact on nature, just like we know that color is all around us and is invisible in black and white photography.

So how do I/we use black and white photos to minimize Co2?

After BM is over and when we return to Copenhagen the finished pictures will be sold on a auction on the net and in selected galleries in Copenhagen and hopefully in other parts of the European Union and the United States. The purchase price that people or companies pay for the photos, will buy Co2 quota.

This is how it works: If you buy the right to use a certain amount of CO2 and you don't use that right, you contribute to reduce the global warming. One ton of Co2 rights is worth approximately 15 to 20 Euro or $20 to $26. So then the buyer decides for themselves how much Co2 they want to buy off the market to prevent big companies from buying the same Co2 rights. In other words, the purchaser of the photograph will not be paying us money, the money will go towards the purchase of Co2 rights which will prevent companies and countries from being able to release that amount of Co2 into the atmosphere. The more people buy, the less companies can buy, and we can directly affect the amounts of Co2 being released into our atmosphere by buying the rights and not using them. In effect we are limiting the amount of rights that countries and companies can buy.

Each picture will come with a certificate for the amount of tons of Co2 rights the buyer has paid for.

For this project to be a success I need people.... Location of my studio is still not desided... Will be posted ASAP......

All the burning love The D.

[itwazed]

What an incredible idea and innovative way to bring the burn into the real world.....damn the "man"!!!!

[DJmoYst]

Now this is what BM is about. If this is your first time like it is mine you have completely grasped the whole concept of coming together for the better cause.

Sure i am going to party and have fellowship with all BRCians, but you have the great calling to give something back tot the world, if i can be a part of that it would make the experience that much greater.

Thanks for the AWESOME idea.

keep us posted.