Loren Nelson, Wasteland

August 12 – September 6, 2023
Artist opening reception on Saturday, August 12 from 4 -7 pm

LightBox Photographic
1045 Marine Drive
Astoria, OR 97103
503.468.0238
info@lightbox-photographic.com

Human beings aren’t very good at recycling plastic. About 5% was recovered in 2021, down from 9% in 2014. Another 12% was incinerated in waste-to-energy facilities, and the rest ended up in landfills, rivers, and oceans. When I read that plastic fibers were found at the 27,000-foot level on Mount Everest, I imagined the view when climate change has melted the glaciers and mountain snowpack, leaving a thin layer of plastic.
These glowing, plastic-draped landscapes suggest snow-capped mountain ranges, but are actually erosion control measures. They show how plastic surrounds us, literally, and will threaten life on earth for generations.
Side note: The Rhône Glacier in the Swiss Alps has been covered with massive blankets during the warmer months for several years, which has reduced glacial melting by as much as 50%. Another example of art imitating life!

These photographs were made with a Nikon D700 digital camera and an iPhone 8+, processed in Photoshop, and printed on Moab Juniper Fine-Art paper using archival pigment inks.