Abstract Landscapes of Tailing Dams

This series explores the abstract beauty and surreal textures of tailing dams, capturing their unique visual character from an aerial perspective. The images move beyond documentation to focus on the intricate patterns, often unexpected colors, and geometric divisions created by the industrial processes and containment structures within these environments. The series highlights the following key elements: • Textural Abstraction: The images emphasize the rich textures of the tailings, showcasing cracked surfaces, sediment variations, and the interplay of water and waste materials. Close-up shots (Images 1 and 3) reveal the complex details and unsettling organic shapes that transform the industrial landscape into an abstract canvas. • Geometric Composition: The series also focuses on the geometric divisions created by human-made structures like containment walls, channels, and processing facilities. Images 2 and 4 demonstrate how these elements intersect with the tailings, forming striking patterns and dividing the space into distinct color fields. • Unconventional Color Palette: The photographs capture the diverse and often striking color palettes found in tailing dams. These colors, ranging from earthy browns and ochres to vivid yellows, greens, blues, and even pastel tones, are influenced by the mineral composition of the tailings, chemical processes, and water content. The series explores the interplay and contrast of these colors to create visually compelling compositions. • Aerial Perspective: The aerial viewpoint provides a unique and often unfamiliar perspective, transforming the industrial landscape into a work of art. This perspective allows the viewer to appreciate the scale and complexity of the tailing dams, revealing patterns and relationships that might be missed from ground level, while also hinting at the environmental impact contained within. The project aims to evoke a sense of complex contemplation by presenting the tailing dams as both an industrial reality and an abstract art form. The images invite viewers to appreciate the unsettling beauty of unconventional landscapes and to see the world from a fresh perspective. The series explores the unexpected artistry found in the intersection of industry and environmental impact, challenging traditional notions of landscape photography and highlighting the abstract aesthetics, and inherent concerns, of our industrialized world.