Beauty in the Bad Water

Montanans take pride in living in the “Last Best Place,” epitomized by quaint small towns and picturesque landscapes. In contrast, sixteen superfund sites are strewn across the Treasure State with Butte’s Silver Bow Creek, commonly known as the “Berkeley Pit,” being the largest nationwide. The Pit’s water has been contaminated with a startling amount of heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, and zinc, which seep into the ground, causing harm to the vulnerable surrounding environment. 

In Beauty in the Bad Water, the toxic chemical reactions from the Berkeley Pit water, transformed in the color darkroom, create a celestial-esque decay of the photographic process. The vibrant colors and unique formations created through this procedure bring a clear attraction to an otherwise murky subject. As with Montana’s natural allure, it’s easy to be captivated by the colors and feminine curves brought out in these images, begging the question: have we become too complacent with the destruction around us as it consumes the “Last Best Place”?