Spiraling
Vast aerial photographs reveal the shrinking shoreline of Utah's Great Salt Lake. From above, spiraling mineral formations wind across exposed lakebeds, blood-red algae bloom in hypersaline water, and cracked earth marks where waves once moved. Rust, white, and deep red mineral deposits trace former waterlines, leaving the lake fragmented—a landscape visibly coming undone.
In Spiraling, photographer DAVID MAISEL documents this transformation from the air, capturing the visible evidence of rapid ecological decline. Over the past four decades, the Great Salt Lake has lost more than two-thirds of its volume as climate change, prolonged drought, upstream water diversion, and industrial use have accelerated its disappearance. With no natural outlet, the lake has accumulated toxic contaminants that become airborne as the shoreline recedes, threatening surrounding communities. Maisel's photographs are not abstract compositions but records of a vanishing ecosystem—a shoreline that serves as both measurement and warning.
