Jamey Stillings: ATACAMA: Renewable Energy and Mining in the High Desert of Chile

The exhibition is only viewable during NAS Building tours and select special events.

ATACAMA by photographer Jamey Stillings examines the relationship between renewable energy development and mineral extraction in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Through aerial photography, Stillings documents large-scale energy infrastructure, mining operations, and the desert landscapes where these activities intersect.

Chile is the world’s leading producer of copper and the second-largest producer of lithium—materials essential to technologies used every day, including computers, smartphones, electric vehicles, and renewable energy systems. As global demand for these resources increases, the environmental and social impacts of their extraction have become increasingly important.

Stillings’ photographs explore how human activity reshapes landscapes and invite consideration of the challenges involved in balancing resource needs, economic development, and environmental stewardship. By documenting these interconnected systems, ATACAMA highlights the complex relationships between energy, technology, natural resources, and the future of a low-carbon economy.

Image: Cerro Dominador, a 110 MW concentrated solar power plant under construction, Atacama Desert, Chile, 16 July 2017.