Fresh Kills : LANDFILLS
Harm here is here there. In the throw-away culture of America, a landfill serves as a haunting metaphor for the postindustrial dilemma. It is a locus of decay, the residual of systemic greed and excess, a politically layered sites where relics from our past rot. The accelerating rate products are consumed, replaced, burned up and thrown out put an inexplicable strain on the environment. The illusion hinging happiness on consumption has consequences that manifest in toxic mountains shielded from public view. This ignorance is no longer a haven to bliss, but rather a threat to sustainability. In addressing America's culture of waste, I conflate the catalyst to consumption with its residual through mounting the images of landfills on light-boxes to stylistically mimic advertisements. Through this de-contextualization, one hopes to generate a sense of social consciousness around the cultural phenomenology of consumerism.
The photographic opus Fresh Kills delves unflinchingly into the haunting landscapes of landfills, using the notorious Fresh Kills site in Staten Island as a potent emblem of waste—a symbolic microcosm that unveils a far-reaching narrative of decay and consequence. Within the intricate tapestry of America's throw-away culture, this series peels back the layers of our collective complacency to expose the poignant truths residing within these landscapes of forgotten excess.
The heart of this collection lies within the striking realization of the most urgent environmental concern associated with landfills—the unchecked release of methane gas. As organic matter decomposes within these vast repositories of refuse, the insidious emission of methane gas becomes an alarming testimony to our disregard for the repercussions of our actions. A stark juxtaposition emerges between the staggering scale of waste generation, where the average American discards a staggering 4.4 pounds of refuse per day, and the inherent hazards concealed within these seemingly innocuous landscapes.
Contaminants infiltrating soil and groundwater emerge as critical consequences of landfill sites, with potentially devastating ramifications. The toxic materials interred within the waste, including heavy elements such as lead and mercury, find their insidious way into the very fabric of our environment, leaving a lasting legacy of pollution. Fresh Kills exposes the disconcerting reality of these hazardous materials permeating their surroundings, reminding us that the scars of our throw-away culture run deeper than meets the eye.
The triad of toxins, leachate, and greenhouse gases stands as the trinity of challenges inherent in landfills, casting a shadow over the land. Notably, municipal solid waste landfills stand as a significant contributor to methane emissions in the United States, accounting for a staggering 15.5 percent of these emissions in 2021 alone. This methane, an insidious agent of climate change, compounds the issue, magnifying the ecological consequences of our actions. As the world grapples with the urgent need for sustainability, the series confronts us with the grim reality that landfill waste, a culpable player in the global methane emissions tally, is projected to increase by a staggering 70 percent by 2050.
Through Fresh Kills, the viewer becomes an active participant in a narrative of reckoning. The images mirror a stark reality—landfills as crucibles of consequence, echoing the innate consequences of our consumption-driven existence. As the series unravels, it implores us to acknowledge the haunting legacy of these sites, to consider the indelible mark we leave on the planet, and to embrace a renewed commitment to sustainability. Fresh Kills stands as a visual manifesto, urging us to discard our patterns of indifference and transform our perspectives to one of stewardship and preservation.