Weyerhauser Sorting Yard Along the Chehalis River, Cosmopolis, Washington, from the series SawDust Mountain
2007
In the tradition of documentary photography, Johnson turns his eye toward Northwest communities and industries, notably fishing and timber, to reveal the complexities and conflicts over jobs and natural resources. This sorting yard assembled logs to turn into pulp—destined to become everything from toothbrush handles to cigarette filters to photographic paper—until its closure from corporate restructuring. Pulp mills, often located in places where forest products have offered employment over generations, negatively impact waterways. Johnson asks us to consider the ways in which nature, place, and identity are interconnected. His images offer a counterpoint to nature uncomplicated by human impact as in the work, for example, of Ansel Adams.
Archival pigment print
24 x 30 in. (61 x 76.2 cm)
Gift of Clinton T. Willour in honor of Marisa C. Sánchez and gift of G. Gibson Gallery
2009.7.1
Provenance: The artist
Photo: Courtesy of the artist
