""Salt of the Earth," by California environmental artist Barbara Boissevain, chronicles salt on the regional scale at the South Bay wetlands. Much of the area was historically used as industrial salt farms, as evidenced by the rusty-red evaporation ponds still visible by air. But lately a massive restoration project is bringing life back to the inhospitable coast, reinvigorating the marshes and inviting birds and fish and other creatures back to their former homes."
"Boissevain's nature photography captures these in-transition landscapes in vivid hues and alien geometries, from close-ups of jellyfish-looking crystal deposits to aerial shots of what scans like the surface of Mars. Local hikers might recognize their favorite stomping grounds, from Ravenswood Ponds in Menlo Park to Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward. It's beautiful, but also hostile and alien; perhaps one reason why Wired Magazine deemed her "Salt of the Earth" one of the best photography books of 2023."
An exhibition at Berkeley's David Brower Center documents salt across the South Bay wetlands and the area's industrial past of large evaporation ponds. Rusty-red ponds mark former salt farms visible from the air. Recent large-scale restoration is reconnecting the coast to tidal processes, reinvigorating marshes and attracting birds, fish, and other wildlife back to restored habitats. Photographs portray in-transition landscapes with vivid hues and geometric, otherworldly forms, featuring close-up crystal deposits and aerial views resembling Mars. Local landmarks including Ravenswood Ponds and Eden Landing appear. The show runs weekdays through Feb. 13, 2026, at 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley; admission is free.
Read at The Mercury News
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]