LBAM You're Dead

As someone who has lived in Santa Cruz County my whole life, I was shocked last November by the news that the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) would be spraying large residential areas with a pesticide in order to erradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM). Santa Cruz is a very progressive area; people here pride themselves in a clean local environment, and the wide availability of organic food. By declaring the situation an agricultural emergency, though, the CDFA was able to spray an untested chemical mixture here, by airplane, without an environmental impact report, and with very little public review. The manner in which the CDFA has conducted their program is what has bothered me most.
Immediately after the spraying began I set to work on a series of photos that describes the mentality of the behavior of the CDFA, and of our state government in general, as I see it. In my photos I work with toys to express my ideas; I arrange them together to form psychological and or politically inspired scenes, then I light everything with brightly colored lights and photograph them. The use of toys in this project feels very appropriate to me; G.I. Joes and other crazy looking army men fill the roles of the CDFA's new LBAM division perfectly, and a myriad of brightly colored ornamental insects play the moths. The photos deal with such issues as how low the planes flew when they were spraying, the futility of erradicating a moth species over such a large geographic area, and the fact that there were no health provisions made for the chemically sensitive people in our area, or for the homeless who live in the elements 24/7.
I have used toys in "LBAM You're Dead," however the tone of the photos remains very serious. Through this series I have been able to help deliver information about the spray program to a much larger amount of people than I could have personally through any other method of communication or action.
I showed "LBAM You're Dead" first in Santa Cruz in February. Hundreds of people here have filled out reports complaining of health problems after the two days of spraying in November, and the spraying is scheduled to continue in June. The majority of the Bay Area, including San Francisco will be sprayed for the first time beginning in August.

Six photos from "LBAM You're Dead" are currently on display at City Art Cooperative Gallery in San Francsico through March 29.
City Art Cooperative Gallery
828 Valencia St
San Francisco, Ca, 94110
(415) 970-9900
http://www.cityartgallery.org