'Wilderness to Wasteland' – a haunting meditation

'Wilderness to Wasteland' is David T. Hanson’s record of the transformation and destruction of the American landscape, presented in a stunning series of photographs. Although the pictures were made in the 1980s, they seem even more relevant today, given our growing concerns about energy production, environmental degradation and climate change.

'Wilderness to Wasteland' presents four series of previously unpublished and unexhibited photographs from Hanson’s early work, made between 1982 and 1987. “Atomic City” documents the former nuclear boomtown (now almost abandoned) of Atomic City, Idaho, site of the world’s first nuclear power plant and first reactor meltdown. “The Richest Hill on Earth” is a study of the vast copper mines, housing, and surrounding wasteland of Butte, Montana. The central section, “Wilderness to Wasteland,” after which the book is named, is a dynamic group of aerial- and ground-view photographs made as Hanson traveled throughout the United States on a Guggenheim fellowship, photographing hazardous waste sites and the vernacular landscape. The final series, “Twilight in the Wilderness,” comprises spectacular night views of industrial sites for power production.

A haunting meditation on a ravaged landscape, 'Wilderness to Wasteland' bears witness to the most enduring monuments the West will leave to future generations, built on the myths and obsessions of our age.

David T. Hanson was born and raised in Montana. After receiving a B.A. in English literature from Stanford University, he earned an M.F.A. in photography from Rhode Island School of Design, and later taught there in the departments of photography and landscape architecture from 1983 to 2000. He has received numerous awards for his photography, including a Guggenheim fellowship and two NEA fellowships. His work has been exhibited in many museums̶, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art̶, and is found in the permanent collections of museums throughout the world. His previous publications include 'Waste Land: Meditations on a Ravaged Landscape' and 'Colstrip, Montana.'

Released in March 2016 by Taverner Press, 'Wilderness to Wasteland' includes a foreword by award-winning writer Joyce Carol Oates, an introduction by Hanson and a concluding essay by American studies scholar Miles Orvell. (Sara Rosen/Taverner Press)

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