API 4303716180 Ismay, UT 2012

Mishka Henner's 2012 photograph "API 4303716180 Ismay, UT" is an aerial view of an oil pump jack in a desert landscape. The photograph is part of Henner's ongoing series "The American West" and explores the relationship between human intervention and the natural environment. The image is composed of a flat expanse of desert with a circular dirt pad, at the center of which is the oil pump jack. The photograph's bird's-eye view is characteristic of Henner's work, which often uses aerial photography to create a sense of distance and remove human scale from the landscape. The image is a commentary on the impact of resource extraction on the landscape, prompting viewers to contemplate the long-term consequences of human intervention in natural environments.