FEBRUARY 9, 2022. GRACE EBERT

Nababeep Mine, 302,500 tons of copper. All images © Dillon Marsh

When Cape Town-based photographer Dillon Marsh learned about the commercial copper mines near Springbok, South Africa, he decided to document the remains of the excavation sites. “The first of these mines was established in 1852, and back then the digging was done by hand. The extracted copper ore was then transported by ox wagons to the coast 140 kilometers away, and from there, it was shipped to England to be processed,” he tells Colossal.

Koffiefontein Mine, 7.6 million carats of diamonds

This curiosity sparked his CGI series titled For What It’s Worth, which positions metallic orbs representative of the amount of material extracted within the original mines. The striking juxtapositions are profound visual indictments of how uncovering and selling precious metals like copper, gold, and platinum and stones like diamonds have consistently been prioritized over the health of the land. “My feelings have consistently and rapidly fluctuated between a sense of awe for what was gained and a sense of sadness for what it cost,” […]

O’Okiep Mine, 284,000 tons of copper

More: Insightful Digital Images Juxtapose Extracted Resources with the Original Mining Sites