In Salt of the Earth, I use a vivid and abstract visual language to examine the impact of human activity on the environment. Since 2010, I have been photographing the San Francisco Bay salt ponds as they undergo a remarkable transformation as part of The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project, the largest wetlands restoration project West of the Mississippi. The Bay is part of a complex ecosystem dramatically impacted by human activity and urbanization. Industrial mining of salt began shortly after the Gold Rush in the mid-1800’s and continues to this day. These ponds are characterized by environmentalists as having taken away the lungs of the Bay, leading to a decline in its biodiversity, and resulting species loss.

Over the last twelve years, I have deepened my exploration of this constantly evolving subject by adjusting my perspective and photographing from the air, the ground and beneath the water with a macro lens. These images are a visual representation of the ongoing efforts to restore wetlands and bring back the natural biodiversity of the Bay. They also reveal human incursions in the landscape resulting in complex geometries and artifacts due to the limited biodiversity. From the ground, the cracked surface of the earth looks almost like an alien planet juxtaposed next to the opulent, manufactured structures cocooning the social media company headquarters.

My ultimate goal in the creation of this work is to raise awareness about the miraculous power of nature to regenerate and renew, as well as the crucial need to preserve our natural spaces. What is happening in the Bay can serve as a model for other communities faced with the same existential crisis while encountering the ramifications of climate change and sea level rise in the forthcoming decades. I anticipate that key stakeholders and community leaders can assist their constituents in navigating an unpredictable future and will embrace Salt of the Earth as a critical instrument in their educational and outreach toolkit.