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In Memoriam
Photographer Captures America's Best-Kept Secrets
By Jenna Wortham 1.14.08 | 12:00 AM
Taryn Simon photographs some of the most top-secret, highly restricted areas in the world. Her latest book, <CITE>An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar</CITE>, took four years to assemble as the photographer gained access to research facilities and government offices hidden from the public. "I felt like I was discovering a new landscape in America, a new terrain, morally and politically," she said.
The book dives under the surface of society with images of decomposing bodies and radioactive waste, deadly viruses and an outdoor recreation area for death-row inmates. The result is an all-access pass into America's best-kept secrets.
Avian Quarantine Facility
Left: The New York Animal Import Center in Newburgh, New York, detains all imported birds for a mandatory 30-day quarantine before testing them for bird flu and other diseases.
"I decided to photograph this facility because as a citizen, I was concerned about (avian flu), and what things were being done to protect our country," said Simon. Simon scheduled her visit to the Avian Quarantine Facility between trips to other limited-access research facilities to avoid cross-contamination.
Photo: Taryn Simon, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery
By Jenna Wortham 1.14.08 | 12:00 AM
Taryn Simon photographs some of the most top-secret, highly restricted areas in the world. Her latest book, <CITE>An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar</CITE>, took four years to assemble as the photographer gained access to research facilities and government offices hidden from the public. "I felt like I was discovering a new landscape in America, a new terrain, morally and politically," she said.
The book dives under the surface of society with images of decomposing bodies and radioactive waste, deadly viruses and an outdoor recreation area for death-row inmates. The result is an all-access pass into America's best-kept secrets.
Avian Quarantine Facility
Left: The New York Animal Import Center in Newburgh, New York, detains all imported birds for a mandatory 30-day quarantine before testing them for bird flu and other diseases.
"I decided to photograph this facility because as a citizen, I was concerned about (avian flu), and what things were being done to protect our country," said Simon. Simon scheduled her visit to the Avian Quarantine Facility between trips to other limited-access research facilities to avoid cross-contamination.
Photo: Taryn Simon, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery