Whether they are active or long dormant, mines speak of a combination of sacrifice and gain. Their features are crude, unsightly scars on the landscape – unlikely feats of hard labour and specialised engineering, constructed to extract value from the earth but also exacting a price.
These images combine photography and computer generated elements in an effort to visualise the output of a mine. The CGI objects represent a scale model of the materials removed from each mine, a solid mass occupying a scene showing the ground from which it was extracted. By doing so, the intention is to create a kind of visualisation of the merits and shortfalls of mining in South Africa, an industry that has shaped the history and economy of the country so radically.
Dillon Marsh, born in Cape Town in 1981 and continues to live there today. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art from the University of Stellenbosch and during the course of his studies he was drawn to photography and have remained passionate about it ever since.
Website: dillonmarsh.com
