Better Or Equal Use
Better or Equal Use: United States Penitentiary Big Sandy on the former Betty’s Knob, 2020
Coal, Gelatin, Dichromate, Paper
20 x 24 inches
Better or Equal Use: Coal, 12.9 lbs, from Bullpush Mountain (or the weight of it), 2020
Coal
10 x 8 x 5 Inches
Better or Equal Use: Louisa, KY Strip Mall on the former Pine Ridge Mountain, 2020
Coal, Gelatin, Dichromate, Paper
20 x 24 inches
Better or Equal Use: Federal Correctional Institution, McDowell on the former Indian Ridge Mountain, 2020
Coal, Gelatin, Dichromate, Paper
20 x 24 inches
Better or Equal Use: Mount Olive Correctional Complex on the former Bullpush Mountain, 2020
Coal, Gelatin, Dichromate, Paper
20 x 24 inches
Better or Equal Use: Coalfield Expressway on former Bull Creek Mountain, 2020
Coal, Gelatin, Dichromate, Paper
20 x 24 inches
Installation View, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 2021
Better or Equal Use
Better or Equal Use is a series of photographs made from coal dust that depict former mining sites redeveloped under the Surface-Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 – so far including detention facilities, strip malls and golf courses. This congressional act mandates that after mining is compete, companies reinstate the façade of the mountain or redevelop the site for “ equal or better public or economic use,” directly weighing the value of a mountain and surrounding communities against other industrial and commercial functions.