Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth

As the world grows we are draining the Earth. Production of metal, plastic, fertilizers and power pollutes, and contributes to global warming. Saturated colors of colossal human-made sites are leaving an overall sense of alarm and the duality in our own complicity, and art’s complicity in barbarism.

Aerial view and abstract presentation of different polluted sites across Europe.

In order to meet the demand for raw materials, we make more subproducts and toxic waste than ever. For the growing we need copper, iron, concrete, plastic, ferilízers, power, to name a few. Producing all these sources contributes significantly to global warming and polluting our planet, called Home.

Series exploring ashponds, red mud ponds and chemical residue pools, hidden or unreachable places from a new angle. It stimulates an aesthetic response, and thus dialog about the destructive out tendencies.

The ambiguity of what is depicted, and the apparent toxicity suggested by the saturated colors pervading these colossal human-made sites, however, leave one with an overall sense of alarm. This series is effective duality of attraction and abhorrence, of water pollution and healing power of water and our own complicity, and art’s complicity in barbarism.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Toxic Polluted Lake Due Pyrite Mining - Normal sized tree covered with residue in the big waste decanting lake, tailing pond. Mining water and production by-products is discharged from Minas RioTinto due pyrite mining. Giant cracks was created during the dry stacking method. Orange color coming from sulfite and blue is reflection of the sky. Minas de Riotinto, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, January 1. 2019. Visible width on picture is around 50 meter.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Huge cracks in tailing pond - Residue of pyrite mining and processing flowing into the one the several huge lakes dedicated to deposit toxic waste creating abstract shapes. Minas de RioTinto, Spain, 2020. Visible width on picture is around 310 meter.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Facing poison - Shapes of polluted lake shore as part of huge artificial pond dedicated to deposit toxic waste of pyrite mining and processing Minas de RioTinto, Spain, 2020. Visible width on picture is 160 meter.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Maroon waste - Three egrets swirling around the huge pond, where the waste from distillery is agitated by aerator producing stream and foam. Located in Provence, South France, December 29. 2019. Visible width on picture is around 53 meter.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Pond shoring - Bulldozer maintaining the dam which create huge pool and holds inside strongly alkaline ash delivered from thermal power plant. After coal combustion in thermal power station strongly alkaline mud, slag, dust-ash, gypsum and sulphur dioxide waste delivered by pipeline is mixed with chemicals for neutralization to be deposited by stacking method in huge artificial ponds. Hungary. Visible width on picture is around 120 meter.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Phosphogypsum and radioactive water - Service road and textures at an abandoned pond used for the disposal and stacking of phosphogypsum with shallow, but highly toxic radioactive green water in Huelva, Southern Spain. August 12. 2018. Located in the middle of the salty marshes, this dam, used for storing industrial waste, contains 120 million tonnes of phosphogypsum, a by-product in the manufacture of phosphate-based fertilizers. It is considered the largest landfill of its kind in Europe. Phosphogypsum is a radioactive material due to the presence of naturally occurring uranium and thorium. It also contains rare earth elements, like yttrium and scandium.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Residue of the bright white pigment production - Artistic shapes created by toxic by-products of titanium dioxide pigment production,collected in disposal lake in Slovenia. May 18, 2019 One of the largest chemical-processing companies in Slovenia oriented towards the production of titanium dioxide pigment, most widely used white pigment in products such as paints, coatings, plastics, paper, inks, fibres, and food and cosmetics because of its brightness. Factory also producing zinc anodes, printing inks, and industrial gypsum. By-product of these complex chemical processing is highly alkaline residue collected in disposal lake built between two hills in suburban area.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Ash-Mosaic - Ash from thermal power plant after coal combustion in form of pulp is pumped through pipelines into the huge system of ponds for gradual neutralization and dry stacking. Poland. September 29, 2019. During the process toxic and radioactive material leaking into the ground, evaporating, and finally neutralized material gets into the poison-green lake for long term storage.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Polish Maldives - Former open pit mine used as disposal of trongly alkaline mud, slag, dust-ash, gypsum and sulphur dioxide waste delivered by pipeline from power plant station after coal combustion. Poland, September 2019.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Aquarell Ash - After coal combustion in thermal power station strongly alkaline mud, slag, dust-ash, gypsum and sulphur dioxide waste delivered by pipeline is mixed with chemicals for neutralization to be deposited by stacking method. During the process toxic material leaking into the ground and evaporating from the giant pond covering more 5 sq miles. Poland, September, 2019.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Deposite Lake Near Mine - Residue in the big waste decanting lake, tailing pond with neutralization chemicals. Mining water and production by-products is discharged from Minas RioTinto due pyrite mining. Minas de Riotinto, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, January, 2020.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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White Pigment Production Art - Artistic shapes created by toxic by-products of titanium dioxide pigment production,collected in disposal lake in Slovenia. May, 2019 One of the largest chemical-processing companies in Slovenia oriented towards the production of titanium dioxide pigment, most widely used white pigment in products such as paints, coatings, plastics, paper, inks, fibres, and food and cosmetics because of its brightness. Factory also producing zinc anodes, printing inks, and industrial gypsum. By-product of these complex chemical processing is highly alkaline residue collected in disposal lake built between two hills in suburban area.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
i

Chemical Trees - In the huge man-made ponds, built on flat area on the river bank, toxic substances which are by-products of chemical industry are cover the trees. Constantly flowing residue of soda production is accumulated for neutralization, but on the way, hot toxic material evaporating by steam and leaking into the ground and to the river nearby. Bosnia and Herzegovina, June, 2019.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Ash Art - After coal combustion in thermal power station strongly alkaline mud, slag, dust-ash, gypsum and sulphur dioxide waste delivered by pipeline is mixed with chemicals for neutralization to be deposited by stacking method. During the process toxic material leaking into the ground and evaporating from the giant pond. July 2019.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Plastic Waste Art - Waste of plastic industry deposited in huge storage pond for neutralization creates artitic shapes. Italy, december, 2019.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Bulldozers on Red Mud Dam - In order to prevent dangerous leaks, bulldozers work on weekends and holidays, shoring up the dam while red mud toxic waste material is pumped on to the upper surface of a massive waste impoundment in a water slurry coming from the factory located 5 miles away. The impoundments are essentially very large shallow lakes, engineered to de-water the slurry through evaporation. Bosnia and Herzegovina, June, 2019.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Deposite Lake Near Mine - Residue in the big waste decanting lake, tailing pond. Mining water and production by-products is discharged from Minas RioTinto due pyrite mining. Orange color coming from sulfite. Minas de Riotinto, Huelva, Andalucia, Spain, January, 2020.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
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Turquoise Lake - Strongly alkaline mud, slag, dust-ash and gypsum waste mixed with chemicals for neutralization is ready to be is deposited by stacking method. During the process toxic material leaking into the ground and evaporating. Thermal Power Plant, Poland, September, 2019. Powerhouse is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Most power stations in the world burn fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas to generate electricity. The waste products of combustion include ash, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide.The ash from power plant in form of pulp is pumped through pipelines into the huge tailing dam, than maintained by caterpillars for neutralization and dry stacking.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
i

Phosphogypsum and radioactive water - Service road and textures at an abandoned pond used for the disposal and stacking of phosphogypsum with shallow, but highly toxic radioactive green water in Huelva, Southern Spain. December, 2019. Located in the middle of the salty marshes, this dam, used for storing industrial waste, contains 120 million tonnes of phosphogypsum, a by-product in the manufacture of phosphate-based fertilizers. It is considered the largest landfill of its kind in Europe. Phosphogypsum is a radioactive material due to the presence of naturally occurring uranium and thorium. It also contains rare earth elements, like yttrium and scandium.

© Milan Radisics - Image from the Art of pollution -The hidden cost of growth photography project
i

Abandoned Disposal - Formerly used by Polish metal industry, now abandoned, parched pond full of crackings. The flora and fauna now starting the recover their place. Poland. September, 2019.

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