Background information
"The out-of-print photo volume 'Written on the Land' presents photographic project by Mark RUWEDEL that looks at the impact of technologies and culture on the land. His subtle yet rigorous, decade-long investigation resulted in a fascinating accumulation of images portraying not only those devastations we have wrought during our own recent history, through military manoeuvres, weapons testing, resource extraction and cultural modifications but also the violent intrusion that was the 'conquering' of the west, in particular the building of the railways and the application of the new site names by European immigrants and explorers. Content
The photo book, 'Written on the Land', covers the work from by Mark RUWEDEL from 1990 to 2001, divided into three sections: 'The Ice Age'; 'Pictures of Hell' as well as 'Westward The Course of Empire'. These three series are interrelated, as archeological history, land use and the act of naming places combine to form a picture of human interaction with the land. The publication includes also a list of works and biographies and texts by Barry Lopez and Ann Thomas." (© 2001, Presentation House Gallery)