Friday, May 18, 2012

Alex Webb -- photos of a toxic town

AlexWebb -- Treece, Kansas
"Room in abandoned house," Alex Webb, All rights reserved

I happened on a horrifying but rather sweet article about a lead-and-zinc-mining town called Treece in the flatlands of Kansas. Everybody (except one stubborn couple) has left Treece to avoid the rampant toxicity of its dirt, plants, animals, water and air.

There are wonderful photos by Alex Webb accompanying the piece. Maybe his photos are why I chose the word 'sweet' above. Or maybe it's just me. When it's safely in the past, human folly and its consequences can seem merely melancholy. Easy to forgive, especially in the springtime.

Yeah, even at our most greedy, it's hard to wipe out everything! But we do keep trying.

Read my review of Alex Webb's recent NY show, 'The Suffering of Light'

Tuesday, May 15, 2012