Robet Harding Pittman will present his photographs and book of the same title, Anonymization, and a short documentary film, Concrete Coast. Anonymization explores the world of a uniform, homogeneous model of development, inspired by Los Angeles style urban sprawl. This anonymous type of development consisting of massive freeways, parking lots, shopping malls and large scale master planned communities with golf courses is being stamped onto the earth's topography. Harding Pittman's photos and book explore the impact of these developments on natural and cultural environments, and their relationship to current and developing environmental, social, political and financial problems.
Documentary film Concrete Coast examines the social, cultural and environmental effects of tourist development the last area of un-urbanized Spanish Mediterranean coast in the region of Murcia. Golf courses, marinas, freeways and new large scale planned communities with 1,000,000 residences are replacing agriculture along this coastline. Built mainly for sun-seeking British retirees, this development will double the population of Murcia within a few years. Harding Pittman illustrates the impact of these large-scale economic and political forces with the stories of a Spanish farming family being expropriated of their land and a retired British couple embarking on their new life in a country where they do not speak the language.
The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by the lecture and screening. A Q&A and a book signing rounds out the evening.