James Hunt

Blackstone Canal, South Grafton

infrared photography, archival inkjet print

24″ x 20″

2023

The Blackstone Canal ceased operations in 1848. Yet, the Canal still exists, largely unprotected by governments, along its route from Worcester to Providence. The Canal seems to remind us that the scars we inflict have enormous staying power. At the same time, those scars, coming to grips with nature, can be beautiful as well.

James Hunt

Artillery Platforms at the Quabbin Reservoir, Gate 52, Ware, Massachusetts

Inspired by: Robert Adams, Bulldozed Slash

digital photography, archival inkjet print

20″ x 24″

2023

Clashes between the environment, health and human behavior are sometimes inexplicable. In the years from World War II through 1968, the Quabbin Reservoir, which supplies drinking water for 2 million people, was used as a testing range for weapons developed at the Springfield Armory. Large shells, made from a variety of substances, some incompatible with human drinking water, were routinely fired into the Reservoir. The guns are gone, of course, but the platforms remain. This submission was inspired by the FAM loan photograph, “Bulldozed Slash,” created by Robert Adams. Some human decisions and actions that may appear reasonable at the time, to some at least, can seem so incomprehensible when viewed from other perspectives.

@jameshuntphoto