Cyril Albrecht. Hydraulic Empire

Started in 2019 and covering the area of 13 American states, Hydraulic Empire explores the past, present, and future prospects of what is quite simply – in terms of technological accomplishments and created wealth – the most ambitious semi-desert civilization project in History.

From my early childhood, I have been fascinated by the American West, its magnetic sense of space, spectacular geology and powerful symbolism as a land of opportunity and new beginnings, which Wallace Stegner described as a Geography of Hope.

Decades later, as I immersed myself in multiple peregrinations across the region, driving along miles of dusty and rocky roads stretching on both sides, I was struck by one overwhelming characteristic of the landscape: a visible scarcity of water.

How did such an unforgiving land become what it is today? How could the American West – “Arid Region of the United States” in John Wesley Powell’s words – become home to sprawling megacities, the epicentre of key vectors of American influence such as the entertainment and technology industries, and a primary source of agricultural products; in short an integral pillar of American Power?

Water Manipulation and Control – on a monumental scale – is at the heart of this apparent paradox.

Ever since the seminal Reclamation Act of 1902, a fierce ambition to tame geological and hydrological forces across a region as vast as the European Union gave rise to a Promethean, federally-funded, infrastructure: over 12,000 dams, thousands of miles of canals and rivers virtually running uphill, shifted by gigantic pumping stations.

Hydraulic Empire investigates some of these emblematic or historically significant sites as well as the contemporary oasis civilization they made possible, occasionally unveiling faint traces of stories beyond the engineering prowess, a history of conflict, controversies, social repercussions or environmental damage.

In a subsequent, more forward-looking section, the project takes a lucid and uncompromising look at the prospects of such an ambitious human enterprise – driven by both defiance and denial – exposing its frailties, inherent imbalances, and inevitable tensions, further exacerbated by climate change.

Clearly not oblivious to these vulnerabilities, the West has been actively trying to manage and curb its unquenchable thirst through a combination of technology, conservation policies or intensified collaboration, but pressing questions remain: will it be enough?

By questioning the mythology of a land built by independent self-sufficient pioneers – at odds with an ubiquitous, and vital, government-sponsored water control infrastructure – Hydraulic Empire aims to challenge viewers to have a peek behind the scenes of the contemporary West, and engage in a necessary introspection about our collective approach to managing limited resources.

Cyril Albrecht

Graduated in Mathematics, Economics and Business Administration, Cyril Albrecht worked in Europe, the U.S.A and Japan for over fifteen years before deciding to focus permanently on photography.
He predominantly likes to develop his practice through long term – often multi-year – projects, sometimes involving extensive research and preparation.

His photography aims to question our relationship to the landscape, with a particular interest for issues such as the complex tension between the man-made & the natural world or the lingering traces of time and history on landscape.
Within his series, he often likes to combine distinct vantage points - ground and aerial views, for instance – to offer new perspectives, that reveal and conceal different facets of a place or situation in equal measure. His most recent projects find their roots in a childhood‘s fascination with the American West, and a desire to further explore visually the permanent confrontation between its mythologized narrative and a more complex and singular reality.

His work favors large format images with a strong immersive quality combined with a great clarity of details enabled by the photographic medium.
When not on the road, he lives and works in Belgium.