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Short abstract

A photographic project “Exposed Acid” visualizes the invisible chemical agents that shape contemporary toxic environments, specifically sulfuric acid permeating waters as a result of mining operations. The project contributes to posthumanist discussions of late industrial toxic ecologies.

Long abstract

This paper presents a photographic project called “Exposed Acid” and examines how photographic practice can render visible the invisible chemical agents that shape contemporary toxic environments. It does so by focusing on sulfuric acid contamination resulting from mining operations. Mining activities that expose sulfide minerals generate sulfuric acid, which dissolves heavy metals and produces long lasting contamination in soils and waterways.

The photographic project was conducted at a former copper mining site in Outokumpu, Finland, an area known for severe ecological degradation caused by decades of mining activity. In particular, local water bodies have become highly acidic due to the dumping of mining waste.

To expose the agency of sulfuric acid itself, I carried out a photographic experiment using analog film. During fieldwork, I collected water from a contaminated lake (measured at pH 2) and later soaked unprocessed film in this acidic water before developing it using C 41 chemistry. By disrupting the material processes of film development, the acid co authored the images, leaving visible traces of its destructive interactions with the film surface. Through this method, the photographs become more than representations of degraded landscapes; they serve as material records of chemical encounters, revealing the presence and agency of toxic matter.

Artistically, the project examines the material presence of a toxic chemical agent and contributes to posthumanist discussions of chemical modernity and late industrial toxic ecologies. It further enriches debates on posthuman and nonhuman photography by foregrounding chemical forces as active participants in image making.