LithiumLithium

The exhibition Lithium includes contributions by researchers, designers, musicians and artists. This drone sequence by Cédric Gerbehaye reveals the sublime landscape of evaporation pools at the lithium pilot plant in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

Bolivia is home to the world's biggest reserves of lithium. The Bolivian government faces many political challenges in effectively managing this complex new industry, while also satisfying the interests of the multinational, national and departmental stakeholders, as well as Indigenous communities. Whose benefits are at stake with the exploitation of lithium? Highlighting the paramount importance of this metal for Bolivian economic growth, the film shows the lithium deposits in the Salar de Uyuni. Unusually salty and wet, flooded by seasonal rains and mixed with magnesium, these deposits are especially complicated to extract, posing another technical challenge for the Bolivian industry.

Cédric Gerbehaye is a Belgian documentary photographer and a founding member of MAPS Agency. He is the author of the books Congo in Limbo (2010), Land of Cush (2013), Sète#13 (2013) and D'entre eux (2015). His work has been recognised by World Press Photo, Amnesty International Media Award and others, and he is a National Geographic Magazine contributor. Currently, he is investigating the extraction of natural resources in South America.