Art professor works to help 'Restore the Night Sky'

Oxford American features UGA art faculty member Marni Shindelman, whose work investigates the impacts of ambient LED lighting on our views of the night sky – and our perceptions of the light sources.

Associate Professor in the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia where she heads the photography area, Shindelman brings a keen eye to the effects of a networked world, connecting the invisible to actual sites, anchoring the ephemeral in photographs. Her latest work, Restore the Night Sky, looks at the influence that privatized immigration detention centers have on the rural landscapes they inhabit:

In La Estancia, New Mexico, this illumination extends nearly ten miles across the desert, while in Folkston, Georgia, it reaches only a half mile into the Okefenokee Swamp, blocked by the dense pine trees and vegetation. The advent of these LED lights coincides with the construction and expansion of these detention centers over the past fifteen years, highlighting a concerning trend. Entire communities have experienced revitalization driven by the economic activities associated with detaining individuals seeking political asylum. This phenomenon has engendered a twisted economic boom characterized by promises of job creation and enhanced infrastructure in these otherwise marginalized towns. The remote positioning of these facilities serves to obscure their existence in plain sight, raising deep ethical and legal concerns. It is critical to emphasize that the incarceration of these individuals is neither mandated by US policy nor international law.

More images at Oxford American.

Image: La Palma Correctional Center, Eloy, Arizona, 2024. Detainee Capacity 1,550, Town Population 17,042. 40” x 30” Archival Inkjet