The effects of human impact on the land are central to Julie Shafer’s work. In the series Wait ‘til You See the Devil’s Punchbowl, Julie Shafer used a 4×5″ field camera to photograph the Louisiana bayou in areas polluted and eroded by fracking and deep oil drilling. Shafer made these images in “redscale,” intentionally loading their film backward so that the red spectrum was especially prevalent in each exposure. This glowing otherworldly colorcast confronts us, and forces us to consider the depths of the contamination and the ways that human intervention has altered the land.

In a live virtual talk on April 21 at 6:00pm, Julie Shafer discusses this work with UCR ARTS Director of Collections, Leigh Gleason. Analogues: Julie Shafer is on view at the California Museum of Photography through September 18, 2022.

Third Thursday Talks are made possible with the generous support from the Marjorie and Glenn Thomas Memorial Fund.

Image: Julie Shafer, Under the Texaco Sun, 2016. Archival inkjet print, ed. 1/3. Courtesy of the artist.