DETROIT RIVER, 2024-2025
Cyanotype on Xray Film, Red Wine, Bleach
10 x 8 inches each
This series examines the fragility of the natural world and humanity's destructive impact through an experimental photographic method that intertwines chaos and creation. Employing x-ray film as a base, each sheet is coated with cyanotype solution and submerged directly into the Detroit River—a waterway burdened by industrial pollution and ecological scars. This process allows the river to imprint its contaminants onto the film, making it both a subject and a collaborator in the creative act.
Once retrieved, the films undergo further transformation through immersion in wine and bleach. These chemical reactions enhance the visual presence of the pollutants, emphasizing their role while pushing the medium's boundaries. The resulting cyanotypes embody a haunting duality: their beauty contrasts sharply with the environmental destruction they reflect.
Rooted in the traditions of 20th-century eco-artists, this project amplifies their message of urgency amidst accelerating ecological collapse. It responds to Michigan's water crises and broader global neglect of natural resources. At its core, the series of 35 images provokes reflection on the unintended artistry of decay and invites a reimagining of humanity's relationship with nature and photography.
Each work reveals dynamic tones of blue, purple, orange, cream, and aqua, created by the interplay between cyanotype chemistry and pollutants extracted from the Detroit River. These abstract visual forms transcend traditional photographic genres, offering an uncharted landscape where contamination becomes a collaborator.
In a world oversaturated with imagery, this series encourages viewers to reconsider their connection to photography. By abandoning the indexical nature of traditional photography in favor of unpredictability, it redefines the medium as a space for confrontation and introspection—a call to explore the intertwined beauty and destruction within our environment.
Through these works, the project advocates for a rethinking of photographic practice, urging deeper emotional and tactile engagement with art and the earth it mirrors. The images reject passive observation, instead offering a profound interaction with the unpredictable, destructive, and beautiful forces shaping the world.