I maintain a fine art practice in addition to my commercial photography studio. This work is a continuation of a project I’ve posted about before entitled ‘The Waste Stream‘.
The Waste Stream is a series of pinhole photographs created at former industrial and industrial waste sites that have been repurposed for residential and recreational use. Each lens is constructed on site using a piece of consumer waste found at that specific location. This process results in diffraction and blurring of the scene which creates a visual layer for the viewer to consider, and draws attention to the treatment of the land as an expendable commodity. The impacts of the former industry and the wastes they’ve generated are not always apparent on the surface, yet remain pervasive.
I recently made photographs of the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site in the beach community of Laurence Harbor, NJ. Large amounts of lead waste from a local blast furnace was used to reinforce a seawall and jetty in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Testing done in 2007 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection found elevated levels of lead, antimony, arsenic and copper in the soil and water. The seawall and portions of the jetty were found to contain up to 80% lead slag; parts of the waterfront had lead levels 100 times greater than those considered acceptable. The site was designated an EPA Superfund Site in 2009, and remediation is ongoing.
– Matt
