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Abstract
Despite hydropower often being referred to as clean energy, the building of hydroelectric dams is known to have a number of detrimental consequences, including the displacement of populations, the production of greenhouse gases, the flooding of terrestrial ecosystems, and the drastic disruption of aquatic ones. Acknowledging the local histories and traumatic events generated by Brazil’s Tucuruí Dam, which opened in 1984 in the Amazonian state of Pará, this article integrates a commonly overlooked Amazonian perspective into the ongoing discussion in the energy humanities. It analyzes Fernando Segtowick’s documentary Amazon Mirror (2020) and Paula Sampaio’s photography book The Lake of Forgetfulness (2013) as visual archives documenting life-forms disrupted by hydropower. Attuned to the nuances of the harm inflicted on those affected by the dam, both human and more-than-human, the film and the book reflect political and aesthetic commitments to the social, ecological, and collective memory of the world’s largest tropical rainforest, reframing understandings of the ethical implications of hydropower production.
Published Version
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