Coal
Power Plants
In my journey with coal, I was led from its mining in coal country to where it ended up, 92% of it being burned for power. My most recent work creates a picture of coal, its current aesthetic constant in our built environment, its peak and downfall in the energy production industry, and the limited amount left to mine. To do this, I took different approaches, looking at my memories of living by a coal power plant, then on reclaimed coal mining land, as well as data sets of electricity generation from coal power plants, and estimated coal reserves.
Coal and
Appalachia
I am inspired by memories of growing up on reclaimed mining land in West Virginia. This experience, living with the repercussions of an unaccountable billion-dollar industry while witnessing it continue to tear apart the land, became a starting point for these pieces. They were further informed by data such as maps of West Virginia's underground and surface mine locations, hydrological maps, comprehensive studies on waterways and public water systems, their monitoring sites, and the types of pollutants found.