370 N. Plainfield Road - An Intimate Portrait is a collection of intimate and reverent images of our local landfill. While this mostly unseen place is a destination of last resort for all that we throw away, it is also a living and breathing ecosystem, where people and machine sculpt a mountain out of rocks, wood chips, construction debris, toys, clothes and other detritus from our lives.
These images honor our collective narrative by inviting us to consider the beauty of each individual object and the stories it contains. Perhaps by honoring these objects and the lives they touched, we might reconsider our relationship to ‘raw materials’ and our ‘stuff,’ as well as to the earth herself.
When I first visited the site in April 2019, I was in awe of the complex operations and the sheer magnitude of what was processed there. Over four years and almost 50 visits later, my relationship to this place and the people who care for it is more nuanced. Whether it’s the sights of eagles, hawks or monarch butterflies, the sound of Amtrak heading south at 11:30am along the Vermont side of the Connecticut River or the smiles of people after recycling their cardboard or cleaning out some forgotten place in their attic, I am drawn into rich questions about my own relationship to place, people and possessions.
Along the way, I have been touched by the kindness of every person nurturing this place with patience and grace. I am deeply grateful to the former manager of Lebanon’s Municipal Solid Waste Facility for inviting me into this 129.2 acre piece of property and for trusting me to wander freely around the site. I am even more grateful to every person working at the site who continue to tolerate my wanderings, wearing my bright yellow vest and with camera in hand.
50% of proceeds from the sale of any image in this portfolio or the associated Zine will go to Sustainable Lebanon, a non-profit that supports community sustainability efforts.
If you are interested in purchasing a limited edition print, please contact Lyn!