Charles Stankievech - Hatje Cantz

A two-page spread of a table of contents with white text on a black background. The left page features the word CONTENTS in a large, stylized, futuristic font. The right page lists chapter titles, authors, and page numbers in a simple, monospaced font. Titles include The Desert Turned to Glass and Quantum Mechanics and Cosmology.

A two-page spread from a book with a minimalist design, featuring white text on a black background. The left page shows the title BACKGROUND RADIATION in a stylized, angular font, followed by FOREWORD and text by CHARLES STANKIEVECH. The right page displays a full column of text. Page numbers and running headers are visible in the margins.

An aerial, top-down photograph of a vibrant pink salt lake adjacent to a textured, crystallized shoreline of white and pale pink mineral deposits. The sun's reflection glints brightly on the surface of the reddish-pink water.

A two-page book spread with a black background and white text. On the left page are two paragraphs of text. The right page features a large, grainy, black-and-white photograph from 1959, showing a blurry, bright, arcing shape against a dark background, which is an early satellite image of Earth taken by NASA's Explorer 6.

A wide, black-and-white photograph of the interior of a large, shallow rock cave. The ceiling and back wall are composed of sweeping, layered stone, with the back receding into a deep, dark alcove. The uneven floor is scattered with rocks and features a low, rough wall made of rectangular stone blocks.

A low-angle view from the back of a dark, empty movie theater, looking down a central aisle between rows of teal seats. A massive, curved screen displays a stark, symmetrical, black-and-white image of a rocky volcanic crater, creating an abstract and imposing shape that resembles a giant eye or a face.

A wide, dark, composite image showing a symmetrical, Rorschach-like formation of dark, stormy clouds or nebula at the top. Below is a wide expanse of deep space filled with stars. The bottom is a solid black bar with faint, small white text, including the words Eye of Silence.

A two-panel image showing a bleak, grey volcanic landscape shrouded in thick fog. The top panel shows a rugged mountainside fading into the mist. The bottom panel is a wider shot of a field of dark, jagged lava rock with plumes of white steam rising from the ground.

An eye-level view of a lumpy, metallic object levitating above a grey, sandy surface, casting a distinct shadow below. In the background, a heavy, brutalist concrete structure forms an overhang, creating a large area of deep, black shadow.

A minimalist art installation in a dimly lit room with a concrete floor and several white pillars. A meandering pool of dark, reflective liquid, bordered by black gravel, flows through the space. A grid of white squares glows from beneath the surface of the liquid.

A high-angle, black and white photograph of a natural amphitheater built into a rock formation. A man sits on a circular stone stage, setting up speakers and sound equipment under a large banyan tree. The tree's aerial roots hang down behind him, in front of a dark cave entrance. The stage is surrounded by a curved, empty pool and a forested cliffside.

A two-page magazine spread. On the left, a full-bleed aerial photograph of the Aso volcanic crater shows its rugged, layered rock and a plume of white smoke rising from the center. The right page is black with white text, featuring the stylized title DEEP COOL BIOSPHERE and introducing an article titled A CONVERSATION WITH BARBARA SHERWOOD LOLLAR.

A 5x6 grid of 30 numbered, black-and-white images on a black background. The collage explores the theme of domes and spheres through various photographs, drawings, and diagrams, including ancient mounds, the Pantheon, a NASA sphere, geodesic domes, and observatories.

A two-page layout on a black background about J. G. Ballard's The Worlds Trilogy. The spread includes white text discussing the author's work, a scanned image of the vintage green and yellow cover of his novel The Drowned World, and scans of two text pages from a book.

Charles Stankievech

The Desert Turned to Glass

€ 40.00

VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout

By (artist): Charles Stankievech

Edited by: Dehlia Hannah, Ala Roushan , Nadim Samman

March 2024, 192 Pages, 70 Photos

Paperback

246mm x 274mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5531-3

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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The Desert Turned to Glass is a place where the cosmic and chthonic collide. Commemorating the centenary of the planetarium as an architectural type, this book collects a new body of work by acclaimed Canadian artist Charles Stankievech. Thematically, the project explores alternative theories concerning the origin of life, consciousness, and art—bridging the cosmological visions of cave art and the modern technology of the planetarium. Richly illustrated, the book pairs images of Stankievech's installations and cinematic works with newly commissioned writings by geologists, exobiologists, philosophers and archeologists. Spanning the abyss of space and the depths of the earth, The Desert Turned to Glass is an epic meditation on origins, endings, and infinity.

CHARLES STANKIEVECH (*1978, Canada) is an artist redefining "fieldwork" at the convergence of geopolitics, deep ecologies, and sonic resonances. From the Arctic's northernmost settlement to the depths of the Pacific Ocean, Stankievech's practice uncovers the paradoxes of our existence on the planet by engaging with the imperceptible. He is Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.