OIL SANDS

Title: OIL SANDS

Photographer(s): Alan Gignoux

Writer(s): John O’Connor, Stuart Reigeluth

Designer(s): Emily Macaulay at Stanley James Press & Chloe Juno

Publisher(s): Stanley James Press, Brighton, United Kingdom

Year: 2018

Print run: 200

Language(s): English

Pages: 64 pages including 16 smaller text pages

Size: 25,5 x 35 cm

Binding: Softcover with box

Edition:

Print:

Nation(s) and year(s) of Protest: Canada, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-9999610-0-8

https://gignouxphotos.com/product/oil-sands/

The Oil Sands project documents the devastating effects that the extraction of oil can have on a landscape as well as the complicated human relationship with the oil industry.

We chose a large format for the book because the landscapes that are being documented are huge and cover vast areas that are being destroyed. Alan’s aerial photographs also show an incredible amount of detail that the large format full bleed photos help to enhance.

We decided to hide the human stories within the landscapes. Small cards with a photograph on one side and a fact about the Oil Sands on the other can be found throughout the book in pockets, camouflaged within the industrial landscape photographs. We wanted a way of suggesting that the human element of this story is hidden and often not deemed as important as the vast industry in the area. The cover is printed on a textured card to represent the tactile nature of the land. The title has also been printed in a gloss ink that looks very much like oil.