Half-life/Beyond the Wasteland

By Harper Slusher

These images are from my project, Half-life, an analog photo series on the convergence of the manmade and nature in abandoned spaces. The landscapes of North Carolina that I grew up around were dotted with derelict factories, storefronts, and power plants. Each structure seemed to be a hollow shell that indefinitely condemned the space on which it rested. These discarded places appeared suspended in time— solemn testimonies to the lasting effects of consumerism and industrialization However, as I began exploring these places for this project, I found that they were not static vestiges, but rather dynamic and rapidly-evolving spaces. Nature was not solely a casualty of modernity, but also an active agent. Each of these forsaken structures was being transformed anew as nature reclaims its hold.  

American artist Harper Slusher began her art career in photography, drawing inspiration from the rural landscapes around her home in North Carolina. Since earning an art degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Harper uses both photography and oil painting as a means to study humanity’s influences on the natural world, and its reciprocal power to shape us.