Through June 8, the Swiss Camera Museum in Vevey, Switzerland, is presenting “Mining Photography: The Ecological Footprint of Image Production.” Designed by the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg and curated by Boaz Levin and Esther Ruelfs, this exhibition examines how photography—since its beginnings in the early 19th century—has depended on materials such as copper, silver and fossil-derived substances like bitumen and carbon, once used for copper plate processes and salted paper prints.
© Jürgen Fiedrich Mahrt
By the late 20th century, the photographic industry had become one of the largest consumers of silver: photographic applications accounted for more than half of global silver use. With the rise of digital photography and the widespread adoption of smartphones and other electronic devices, demand has shifted toward different rare elements and metals, including coltan, cobalt and europium, which are essential components in modern imaging and display technologies.
The exhibition brings together contemporary artworks, historical photographs and interviews to highlight photography’s industrial and environmental dimensions. Works on display trace the material pathways that make image production possible while questioning the ecological and social consequences of resource extraction.
Alongside the main show, the museum is hosting a parallel off-site display at Place du Marché in Vevey that marks the 100th anniversary of Leica Camera. This complementary presentation celebrates Italian photographer Davide Monteleone, who won the 2024 Leica Oskar Barnack Award, and features a focused selection of his projects.
© Studio Davide/Monteleone
Swiss Camera Museum’s special presentation of Monteleone’s series “Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy” investigates controversial mining operations for copper, lithium and cobalt in Chile, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Monteleone explores how the global demand for energy and electronics reshapes landscapes and communities where these minerals are extracted.
Monteleone will give a lecture in English on May 22 at 6 p.m.; reservations are required for that event. The Swiss Camera Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., through June 8.