J. Henry Fair Photographs Toxic Waste
- Words
- Brit Seaton
Currently based in New York City, photographer J Henry Fair uses his medium to contribute to environmental activism. In the series ‘Industrial Scars’, he presents the effect of toxic waste on the environment.
‘Industrial Scars’ captures aerial views of toxic waste, with the aim to prompt discussion around the unsettling effects of mass consumption and unsustainable living. The photographer “My goal is to produce beautiful images that stimulate an aesthetic response, and thus dialog.”explains, “My goal is to produce beautiful images that stimulate an aesthetic response, and thus dialog. If the pictures are not beautiful, the viewer will not stop to consider them, or cherish them.” With the help of airlines Southwings and Lighthawk, Fair employs a bird’s-eye-view technique to photograph landscapes as an “abstract expressionist piece of art”. The images can thus be observed as interesting colours and forms, or be understood to highlight severe effects of man on the world. Fair has collated the series into a book entitled ‘Industrial Scars: The Hidden Costs Of Consumption’, which is available to purchase here.
All images © J. Henry Fair