A Great Breach in Nature showcases a series of photographs that capture the unsettling aesthetics of landscapes transmogrified by industrial activity. These images emphasize the seemingly alien landscapes left behind by our extraction of resources from the Earth. Intentionally devoid of humans and our machinery, the photographs leave the viewer to interpret and reflect upon what they are witnessing. Vivid, clashing colors and swirling geometric patterns variously evoke abstract expressionist paintings, textile art, microphotography, or satellite images of extraterrestrial landscapes. Photographed from high above, the topography of runoff impoundments resembles the textures of thickly layered paints, and the cracked surfaces of dried tailing ponds recall the cratered surface of Mars. Like the lurid colors of a venomous snake, this beauty is insidious. In one photograph, an intense crimson stream on a brilliant yellow background captivates the eye–shockingly, the stream is molten sulphur, a byproduct of tar sand oil refining. In another, a verdant whirlpool of emerald green is not the result of lush plant growth, but the toxic byproduct of herbicide generation.

A Great Breach in Nature showcases 20 of Fair’s most compelling photographs, focusing on the sheer scale of industrial impacts on the landscape. These works are grouped according to their underlying source–our need for resources such as energy, food, metal, paper, and plastic. Accompanying documentary research will be presented, revealing the environmental costs of our everyday consumption habits and catalyzing discussions of how these costs can be reduced.

During the exhibition, the Bruce Museum will offer an array of exciting events including a talk by the artist and a live musical performance by Carolyn Enger, who will play piano accompaniments to photographs from the exhibition. This exhibition is organized by the Bruce Museum and curated by Daniel Ksepka, Curator of Science.

Blood of the Earth
Molten sulphur from tar sands refinery pumped onto sulphur stack
Fort McMurray, Canada
Image © J Henry Fair

Arsenic and Water
Coal ash waste at electricity generation plant
Canadys, South Carolina, USA
Image © J Henry Fair

Der Blaue Reiter
Waste impoundment at an Arctic iron mine
Kiruna, Sweden
Image © J Henry Fair

Future Burden
Pattern in brown coal overburden
Lausitz, Germany
Image © J Henry Fair