Tag: Mishka Henner

Eighteen Pumpjacks is part of a larger project I’m working on related to the impact of American industry on its landscape. From the lofty heights of imaging satellites orbiting earth, the abstract forms created by oil fields resemble the shapes and patterns of circuit boards. Over time, I began to wonder if these images reflected something more profound about US pursuits and preoccupations at home and abroad.

When Manchester-based photographer Mishka Henner first stumbled upon these seemingly abstract images on Google Earth, he had no idea what he was seeing; with research, the artist realized that these tentacle-like scars on the earth were created by the meat industry. The harrowing satellite-sourced images that constitute The Feedlots convey the sheer scale of intensive farming in America, where the need to maximize profit all too often takes precedence over concerns for sustainability and animal welfare.