‘Chronotopes of Contamination: Slow Photography and Industrial Legacies in Nova Scotia’, rethinks landscape photography by integrating ecological analogue image-making that resists the medium’s colonial and industrial history. Centering on polluted sites across Mi’kma’ki, this series delves into the intersections of industrial impact and environmental racism, grounding my belief that photography can serve as a form of witness, advocacy, and community empowerment.

Growing up in Kapuskasing, Ontario, I witnessed firsthand the environmental impact of industrialization, as the river that my hometown was named for became a disposal site for effluent from a large paper and pulp mill. Amidst the grand promise of “Wilderness” and Boreal landscapes, my practice has developed within the context of colonialism and pollution. This personal experience deeply informs my critical engagement with how industries alter landscapes and shape communities, both in my childhood home and here in Mi’kma’ki, where I now reside.

Sites like the Sydney Tar Ponds, the Shelburne landfill, and Boat Harbour reveal the long legacies of extractive capitalism, where marginalized communities—particularly Indigenous and African Nova Scotian—bear the brunt of environmental harm. In witnessing these sites of slow violence, I employ photographic methods that resist traditional language like “shooting” or “capturing,” instead embracing materials and processes that require patience, collaboration, and care. This approach reflects my commitment to a more reparative and inclusive form of image-making.

By employing slow and alternative photographic processes like soil chromatography, solargraphy, and plant-based film development, I aim to bear witness to the environmental degradation of these sites while rejecting industrial photographic chemistry. I appeal to the land as a collaborator, inviting affected sites to imprint their own narrative onto the photosensitive surface, offering a counter-narrative to traditional landscape photography.