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| © J. Henry Fair |
| Click photo to see more of J. Henry Fair's images. |
J. Henry Fair's photographs are deceptive. Mostly aerial views shot from a small plane, their rich palette and texture give them the quality of abstract paintings. But in fact, the images illustrate some of the ugliest places on the planet.
Fair photographs environmental destruction, but he does not limit himself solely to industrial wastelands. Still, the glorified images of substances such as bauxite waste and petroleum coke are startling. Why would Fair want to make such poisons look so painterly? He thinks it's an alternative to the grim realism of depicting environmental devastation -- another way to call attention to the unreasonable demands we place on the world. "My goal is to entice the viewer on an aesthetic level, to draw them in," Fair says. "But I don't want anyone to forget that these are industrial nightmares."
Because such sites are usually well fortified against visitors, Fair often shoots from above. "Frequently you can't get to a spot on the ground that isn't fenced off," he says. "I started aerial photography out of necessity. As it turns out, it's actually really cool."
Fair's photography comes only after careful planning. "When you look at a picture of bubbling goo," he says, "I want to be able to tell you exactly what's in it." He examines the deleterious effect of industries from a number of angles to encompass a larger picture. The abstract image here is of an aluminum manufacturing site in Louisiana. "Aluminum production is very picturesque from the air," says Fair. "My next project is going to be uranium mining, which is less photogenic." Indeed, the radioactive element's most damaging effects are invisible, so it will be interesting to see how Fair captures them.
The photograph on pages 50-51, which Fair calls "The Last Stand," shows a small cluster of trees in West Virginia about to be demolished by a bulldozer. It is a more literal image than Fair's aerials but full of symbolism nonetheless. The machines seem to represent humanity's determination to wage industrial warfare against the natural world, while the trees stand as soldiers of the earth about to lose yet another battle. Fair shot from ground level after observing the stand for two days from the air. "I went looking for something powerful, and I was lucky enough to find it."
-Amanda Star
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