We’ve all seen this before.
It happens everywhere.
The trees trimmed to protect the wires.
The wires that deliver our utilities.
Power. Internet. Phone. We still have phone lines up there, right?
This is the network. We call it the network, right? I do.
That’s why I call this series of photographs “Protect the Network.”
I think we all have a fundamental understanding that what these lines of cable are doing is providing us with essential services. Power is essential. Phones, sure, for a few people. I might even argue the internet is more important than power. Either way, we depend on the network, and so we need to protect it.
But it kinda feels bad when we see the trees trimmed like this, right?
I was curious about what goes into the pruning and maintenance of these trees, so I reached out to the person whose title is “Manager, Vegetation Management” at my local utility company.
If you’d like to read this correspondence, I published it along with a few photos in a brand-new zine I made with designer Pablo Delcan.
This zine is 29x37cm and printed on 55 gsm recycled newsprint by Newspaper Club in the UK.
If you’d like to get a copy they are $20 and available here.
This zine is limited to 100 copies.
You can also purchase postcard packs here.
Lastly, I will be exhibiting some of these photographs this July in Pablo’s new exhibition space called The Field Room.
I will share more details about the show and how you can visit in two weeks.
Thank you for reading. See you next week!
Pablo Delcan designed the Protect the Network zine.
Zach Vitale had 24 hours a day of screen time this week.
Kristen Neufeld copy-edited this letter.
The accidental (or deliberate?) chicken is amazing and I love the oval openings that look like portals.
My friend is the CEO of a company whose business is using satellite imagery to make sure these lines don't get overgrown. Have you ever seen videos of the helicopter chainsaws? That do not seem real. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pla06PO6Odk