Seaweed Farms I, Bali, Indonesia, 2014

These aerial images of seaweed farms were made on the eastern shore of Nusa Lembogan from an elevation of approximately 200 feet. The seaweed is planted every 35 days and harvested in cycles by the approximately 600 families who live along the shore.  After the harvest, farmers dry the seaweed under the sun for two to three days, depending on the season.   Once the primary source of income for the island, I have learned the seaweed farms are slowly being abandoned as the workers leave to work in the tourism industry.

To capture these two frames I spent about a week on the island searching for a suitable location to launch the camera. Deciding to use a smaller craft and expendable camera, I did a series “dress reversals” before sending up the larger twenty-five pound rig. At the suggestion of one of the local farmers, we decided to fly off of one of his boats over the densest part of the farm. Launching from this location was risky, but allowed me to fly significantly higher than I normally would if I had simply flown from the shore proper. I was pleased with the result.

-David Burdeny

David Burdeny initiated his career with the Jennifer Kostuik Gallery in 2001 and has been exhibiting his images from the world over, including Antarctica, Iceland, Brazil, China, Burma, Cambodia, France, Italy, Canada and the USA. Known for his finely composed photographs, Burdeny has spent the past 25 years exploring a variegated photographic Landscape ranging from minimal seascapes, ornate European interiors to abstract aerial images. Widely collected in Canada, the USA, Asia and Europe, the sheer beauty of David’s images has firmly placed him within the realm of Canada’s most sought after photo-based artists. Burdeny has an innate curiosity for new subjects and themes, producing over 20 themed photographic series. Be it mounting a camera beneath a self-built drone, shooting from the deck of an Antarctic bound icebreaker, or waiting for an ocean tide to advance, he faithfully embeds his own formal signature into each and every image, further expressing a life long passion for the built environment and the camera’s interpretation of it.

David Burdeny’s Masters in Architecture and Interior Design background combined with his upbringing in the vast Canadian prairies provides the template for his keen technical ability, enduring patience and minimalist aesthetic.