Cityscape nominee

When Lewis Baltz photographed the freshly painted constructions surrounded by yet-to-be landscaped grounds in newly carved out swaths of commercial developments for his 1974 monograph, "New Industrial Parks Near Irvine, California," he not only placed the photographic spotlight on a changing urban landscape, but introduced the world to a new photographic vision. His New Topographic style came to define a photographic genre and earlier this year I identified, located and photographed 46 of Baltz’s original 51 subjects from a vantage point and perspective identical to his original composition. Over four decades of commercial enterprise Baltz's subjects have undergone various degrees of change - just like the area itself. Many subjects have been renovated while others have disappeared completely. What was at the time of Baltz’s scrutiny a newly developed industrial enclave is evolving again with some of the large amorphous industrial warehouses now being replaced by contemporary apartment blocks. I see this body of work as a natural evolution of the original intent of Baltz and his new topographics colleagues as well as a means for me to incorporate my own interpretation of the genre as it continues to evolve.

Brett Leigh Dicks is an American photographer who shares his time between the United States and Australia. His photographic endeavors have led him to explore the world's natural and urban landscapes with the resulting imagery spanning Australia, America and Europe. In employing the tradition of fine black and white photography, Brett primarily investigates the landscape and the fragile ties that it shares with human history. Highlights of his extensive career include the group exhibition "Arcana Naturae" which toured Europe for five years featuring the collected works of Imogen Cunningham, Alfred Ehrhardt, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Josef Sudek and Sugimoto. In Australia, "On the Street", a joint exhibition with mentor and friend Lewis Morley, was a prestigious event featuring their individual takes on street photography. Another honor was taking part in the "The Voice of the Print" exhibition as it drew together photographers who were also noted print-makers and had Brett's work hanging reverently beside that of Ansel Adams. His work is held in both private and public collections the world over.