J Henry Fair is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

photographer,

environmental activist The environmental movement (sometimes referred to as the ecology movement) is a social movement that aims to protect the natural world from harmful environmental practices in order to create sustainable living. In its recognition of humanity a ...

, and co-founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in

South Salem, New York South Salem is a hamlet in the Town of Lewisboro, Westchester County, in the U.S. state of New York. Part of the New York metropolitan area, the town center has a post office, town hall, library, and recycling center. Notable residents have in ...

. Born in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, he currently lives and works in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Industrial Scars

Through large-scale aerial photo shoots and accompanying

documentary research Documentary research is the use of outside sources, documents, to support the viewpoint or argument of an academic work. The process of documentary research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of kno ...

, Fair's Industrial Scars project explores the

detritus In biology, detritus ( or ) is organic matter made up of the decomposition, decomposing remains of organisms and plants, and also of feces. Detritus usually hosts communities of microorganisms that colonize and decomposition, decompose (Reminera ...

of our

consumer society Consumerism is a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon that is typical of industrialized societies. It is characterized by the continuous acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing quantities. In contemporary consumer society, the ...

. Industrial Scars subjects range from

oil drilling An oil well is a drillhole boring (earth), boring in Earth that is designed to bring petroleum oil hydrocarbons to the surface. Usually some natural gas is released as associated petroleum gas along with the oil. A well that is designed to produ ...

and

coal ash Coal combustion products (CCPs), also called coal combustion wastes (CCWs) or coal combustion residuals (CCRs), are byproducts of burning coal. They are categorized in four groups, each based on physical and chemical forms derived from coal combust ...

waste to large-scale agricultural production and abandoned mining operations. In small airplanes, he circles above industrial areas and photographs with a bird's eye perspective the effects these operations have on our environment. Topics of particular interest include the

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

process,

environmental pollution ''Environmental Pollution'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the biological, health, and ecological effects of environmental pollution. It was established in 1980 as two parts: ''Environmental Pollution Series A: Ecological and Biologi ...

, and

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss or habitat reduction) occurs when a natural habitat is no longer able to support its native species. The organisms once living there have either moved elsewhere, or are dead, leading to a decrease ...

—all of which are illustrated in Fair's photographs. With his photos, Fair has called attention to environmental and political problems in different regions of the world. Fair has had touring photography exhibits in the USA, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, he travels around the world, giving environmental symposia to teach audiences about consumer responsibility and environmental awareness. Fair's work has been published in

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

and magazines ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''

TIME Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'', and ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

'' and featured on European Television networks like Arte, and TTT, and American programs like''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

'' and ''

Marketplace A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a ''souk'' (from ...

'', television and radio, respectively. Fair's second book, "Industrial Scars: The Hidden Costs of Consumption" published by Papadakis, brings our attentions to the tragic effects created by human impact on our planet. At first, his photographs are mesmerisingly beautiful: taken at bird's eye perspective from a small plane, their shapes, colours and details give them an aesthetic quality that entrance and capture the imagination, yet concern and horror creep in on the realisation of the true reality of the subject.

On The Edge

With his project "On The Edge", using again aerial photography, Fair turns his attention to the issue of the impact of climate change on the coastlines, showing how sea-level rise is eating away at coastal communities and landscapes of the US east coast. The first publication from the project, Fair's third book, depicts the South Carolina coast.

Activism

J Henry Fair participates in numerous environmental efforts around the world, usually with his art, and he is co-founder (with pianist,

Hélène Grimaud Hélène Rose Paule Grimaud (born 7 November 1969) is a French classical pianist and the founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York. Early life and education Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence, France, the daughter of te ...

) of the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) of South Salem, NY. The WCC promotes wolf conservation by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment, and the human role in protecting their future. To accomplish its mission, WCC holds regular educational programs to discuss wolf conservation, supports wolf reintroduction in federally designated areas that can sustain viable wolf populations, and provides a natural habitat for a few captive wolves where observation of natural behavior is possible. WCC is the preeminent facility in the eastern United States for the captive breeding and pre-release of endangered wolf species. Fair has collaborated on high-priority issues with environmental organizations such as NRDC, the

Rainforest Alliance The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-governmental organization (NGO) with staff in more than 20 countries and operations in more than 70 countries. It was founded in 1987 by Daniel Katz, an American environmental activist, who serve ...

Waterkeeper Alliance Waterkeeper Alliance is a worldwide network of environmental organizations founded in 1999 that work to protect bodies of water around the United States and the world. By December 2019, the group said it had grown to 350 members in 46 countries, ...

, and the

Open Space Institute The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a conservation organization that protects land for clean drinking water, public recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate protection. Established in 1974, OSI achieves its goals through land acq ...

Bibliography

''The Day After Tomorrow: Images Of Our Earth In Crisis'' -Publisher
PowerHouse Books, 2010
With essays by James Hansen, Allen Hershkowitz, Jack Hitt, Roger D. Hodge, Frances Mayes, John Rockwell, and Tensie Whelan ''Industrial Scars: The Hidden Costs of Consumption'' -Publisher
Papadakis Books, 2016.
Foreword by Bill McKibben
350.org
''On The Edge: From Combahee to Winyah'' -Publisher
Papadakis Books, 2019
- Foreword by Dana Beach, Founde
Coastal Conservation League

References

External links

*http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Devastation-From-Above.html# *https://web.archive.org/web/20110807214013/http://marketplace.publicradio.org//display/web/2011/03/03/pm-landscapes-of-extraction/?refid=0 *http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/arts/design/14earth.html?_r=1&ref=arts *http://www.gq.com/news-politics/big-issues/201003/j-henry-fair-coal-ash-containment-site-photos-article
NBC News
*http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2008/07/04/earth_in_the_balance/ *http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/10/19/industrial.scars/#cnnSTCPhoto *http://harpers.org/archive/2007/08/0081633 *http://www.industrialscars.com *http://nywolf.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Fair, J. Henry Living people Artists from Charleston, South Carolina Photographers from New York City People from South Salem, New York Year of birth missing (living people)