SPECIFICS
Edition size: 250
Dimensions: 48x40.64cm (18.9x16 inches)
Archival pigment print on 320gsm Hahnemühle FineArt Baryta.
Embossed artist's signature in bottom right, dated and numbered on reverse. Unframed. Framing is available, get in touch for more information.

DESCRIPTION
A limited edition print of an iconic work revealing industrial-scale cattle farming in the USA. Consistent with Henner's work since 2010, the image is composed of captures made from satellite images available in the public domain, in this case of the Coronado Feeders farm outside Dalhart, Texas. Unbeknownst to the artist at the time, the photographing of cattle farms was illegal in many States due to so-called Ag-Gag laws; legislation designed to prevent anyone from seeing the scale of these operations and more worryingly, to prevent American consumers from knowing where and how the meat they consume is produced.

In a text commissioned by the Los Angeles Times, Henner wrote:

"I first came across these feedlots on Google Earth and had no idea what I was seeing. The mass and density of the black and white dots seemed almost microbial. To understand what they were I had to learn about the meat industry and its methods for maximizing yield in the minimum amount of time for the highest profit.

It used to take five years for a cow to reach its mature weight, ready for slaughter and processing. Today, since the structures and processes of feed yards have been perfected, that has been reduced to less than 18 months.

Such speed requires growth hormones and antibiotics in cows' diets, and efficient feedlot architecture. Farmers can turn to reports to help calculate the maximum number of cattle that can fit in each pen, the minimum size of run-off channels that carry away thousands of tons of urine and manure, and the composition of chemicals needed to break down the waste as it collects in lagoons and drains into the soil. Different chemical mixes explain the varying toxic hues of each lagoon.

These pictures were made by stitching together hundreds of high-resolution screen shots from publicly accessible satellite imaging software. The results are prints of great clarity and detail that capture the effects of feedlots on the land.

The meat industry is a subject loaded with a moral and ethical charge. But when I think of these pictures, I don't just see gigantic farms, I see an attitude toward life and death that exists throughout contemporary culture. These images reflect a blueprint and a horror that lie at the heart of the way we live."

Coronado Feeders, Dalhart, Texas had a huge impact, appearing on the covers of 1.2 million editions of Vice Magazine in 26 different countries in 2012 and featuring in print and broadcast media across the world.

Click here for more info on the Feedlots series.

As featured in the LA Times, New York Times, Vice Magazine, BBC, CNN, Russia Today. 

Please Note
This is a numbered limited edition item, buyers are advised to select a tracked shipping option at checkout.