American Mine

Large-scale mining has permanently transformed vast areas of the American landscape, leveling mountains, contaminating waterways, and leaving behind toxic waste that can persist for generations. The metals extracted from these sites power modern infrastructure, electronics, and transportation, yet their environmental costs often remain hidden from public view.

In American Mine, DAVID MAISEL documents these altered landscapes from the air, revealing the immense scale and permanence of industrial extraction. His photographs connect the materials that sustain everyday life to the profound environmental consequences of their production, exposing landscapes reshaped in service of modern consumption.