Edward Burtynsky‘s photos of a tire graveyard in Westley, California, shouldn’t be beautiful, but they are. “Recycling yards, mine tailings, quarries and refineries are all places that are outside of our normal experience, yet we partake of their output on a daily basis,” he explains. “These images are meant as metaphors to the dilemma of our modern existence; they search for a dialogue between attraction and repulsion, seduction and fear. We are drawn by desire — a chance at good living, yet we are consciously or unconsciously aware that the world is suffering for our success.” Heavy.
More pretty tires after the jump.
Oxford Tire Pile #9a. Westley, California, USA, 1999
Oxford Tire Pile #9b. Westley, California, USA, 1999
Oxford Tire Pile #8. Westley, California, USA, 1999
Oxford Tire Pile #2. Westley, California, USA, 1999