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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1991)
NIX1|IJ U&H!IUD-A130SO J&QJ JOtf Photographers interpret environmental dilemma By Cindy McMHIian Finding art in environmental de struction. Though it seems a per plexing task, nine photographers will display their perceptions of the global green dilemma in “Broken Circle: The Environment at Risk." The exhibit, which begins Satur day and runs through April 5 at the Brazos Stock Exchange in Bryan, combines nine different approaches to assessing environmental prob lems and solutions. Including the af termath of Galveston oil spills and 1990 Earth Day, the photos are in tended to heighten awareness. The group states, “For Broken Circle, we focus our attention, and perhaps the attention of others, on the often ig nored, individual contributions to our worsening global environmental di lemma and on solutions to the prob lem.” Individual responsibility is a theme repeated by several members of the group. David Crossley ex plains, “It is never a giant corpora tion or a municipality or a nation that engages in careless polluting of our natural environment; rather, it is an individual or group of individuals, each taking responsibility for being a good guy or a bad guy." Crossley’s photos were inspired by a neighbor in Galveston who cleaned trash from the roadside near his house — Crossley noticed that people don’t litter on that stretch of road now. “This suggests that one must act to clear away existing bad deeds in hope that no new ones will be perpetrated.” Sharon Babbitt, a Houston-based photographer, contributes her ob servations of the Cherokee Osage Indians, hoping to emphasize the importance of preserving nature "as it was before the white man took over.” Even man’s attempts to reconcile industry with nature are examined. David Gresham began his project just before Earth Day last year, and he says it has evolved into a docu mentary on the different environ mental battles being fought. The mass media bandwagon, green ad vertising, the recycling war — Gre sham calls it a war being waged in our own backyards. But Gresham includes a dis claimer: "The purpose of this project is to inform, not to judge what is right.” The photographers admit -their own contributions to environ mental problems, saying the very chemicals they use in developing pictures harm water and the ozone layer. In coming together and dis cussing the problems to address in the exhibit, the group says, they went through their own re-awaken ing. The exhibit is sponsored by the Texas Environmental Action Coali tion and several firms in Bryan, Dal las and Austin. Brazos Stock Ex change will host an opening reception for “Broken Circle” on Sat urday night at 8. page 5 JL exas City never fails to impress me. fm intrigued by that massive web of pipes and fracturing towers, the flickering flames, the thick white steams, the relentless hissing and humming noises. This town of refineries embodies the power of human industry. It is toxic beauty. I hate it; I love it.” —Hans Staartjes, photographer Life Style magazine " ■■