Edward Burtynsky has released an "interactive edition of his monumental Oil project," which "surveys a decade of photographic work on the subject."

The app features more than 100 Burtynsky's images, including ten images from a new series documenting the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. "Each image is seen full-screen in high-resolution, and each can be expanded to zoom into detail," say the developers.

Speaking to BJP's Olivier Laurent, Burtynsky explains how the app came about: "I belong to the TED community and won a prize in 2005. I met a lot of very interesting people along the way - one of them was Charlie Melcher and Al Gore," he says. "Together, they did An Incovenient Truth as a book and then as an app under the name Our Choice. It was the first eBook app that was really successful when it was released two years ago. Then, Charlie approached me. He wanted me to be the subject of the next book on the iPad. We thought it would be another way to distribute a book with high-quality imagery in it."

He adds: "The actual iPad, with its backlit screen, makes the images quite rich. As a surrogate experience to what we see in a gallery - my own is meant to be seen big, in a gallery - this offers almost a richer and deeper experience than a paperbook. 

The app is a reproduction of the Steidl book which was released in 2009, but the photographer has added 24 audio spots "where you can hear me explain why and how I shot these particular images," he says. "I think this adds a certain richness that you cannot get from an analog book. I still love analog books, of course. What I like about books and apps is the fact that they are not ephemeral like exhibitions, which come and go. Some people are fortunate to see these shows and enjoy them, but few in terms of what the potential is. But a book extends that. A book is also an aggregator. It aggretates a whole idea - 12 years of thinking and developing a project."

Of course, Burtynsky adds, creating the app wasn't easy. "There is an enormous amount of work that goes into making an app. I think it caught everybody by surprise how much work there would be. It's part of entering a new medium - but I do believe it's here to stay. The Steidl book sells for $120, while this app is just $9.99. Although it's not a standard book, you still get the content of the book plus more for a 12th of the cost. But then, maybe in the world of app, $9,99 is a lot.

Burtynsky's Oil is available on iTunes now, retailing at $9.99 / £6.99 / €7.99. For more details, visit www.burtynskyoil.com.

Image © Edward Burtynsky.

Image © Edward Burtynsky.