Unlike a 19th-century landscape painter whose concern is representing tranquility and leisure, Burns is concerned with contemplation and investigation into the Anthropocene and its effects on the contemporary natural world.
Through his work, Ryan Burns has helped define Biodiscourse, drawing from climate events like Hurricane Katrina and the California wildfires to explore human impact, memory, and resilience in a changing climate.
Biodiscourse is the dialogue between living systems and the environment, revealing how ecological change and human interaction leave lasting traces on the landscape.