Shannon Elizabeth Bell, American
Toxic Pond, 2008
Shannon Elizabeth Bell provided women in communities in Southern West Virginia with digital cameras and requested that they tell the story of their communities. This project is titled “The Southern West Virginia Photovoice Project” and highlights the impact of mountaintop coal removal through photographs with written narratives. This photograph was taken by the activist Carolyn from a community where the surrounding mountains are covered with large mountaintop removal mining operations. Carolyn’s piece, “Toxic Pond?” displays and narrates slow violence from hidden coal related pollution within the community. Carolyn’s narrative that is accompanied with the photo reveals the constant unease that permeates throughout the community regarding environmental justice in the form of coal-related environmental problems. Label by Elsa Rall