Brandi Merolla

Six years ago, the gasmen came to my quiet upstate NY town looking to lease land in order to use a new method of gas extraction called hydraulic fracturing aka FRACKING. Suddenly our pristine, unpolluted community was threatened by heavy industry. A once simple way of life, was simple no more. Four years ago, I began illustrating the many dangers associated with fracking in my staged photographs, telling big contemporary stories with little vintage figures. The photos illustrate the alarming impacts of irreversible water contamination, health affects caused by exposure to toxic chemicals, explosions, spills, pollution, earthquakes and climate change. My newest imagery looks at the consequences of global warming and the politics of energy.