EYES ON THE SOUTH: Andrew Hefter

Emerging Southern Photographer:

Andrew Hefter—Dallas, Texas

Scientists at the Savannah River Site have identified a bacteria growing on old nuclear fuel.
The material looks like a cobweb.
The senior technical adviser for the Savannah River National Laboratory, Christopher Berry, says genetic analysis shows it's mostly bacteria although some of the DNA strains are unknown.

—Excerpt from a September 10 story by the Associated Press.

Andrew Hefter’s project In Search of Life takes this strange occurrence of new life as a starting point for a layman’s investigation into nuclear energy and its byproducts.

What results is a fascinating study of the guarded landscape surrounding the nuclear plant along the Savannah River; at the same time, the project becomes an experiment in creating visual evidence of the material.

Andrew Hefter recently graduated from SCAD with a BFA in photography and a minor in graphic design. He is a native of Dallas, Texas, and is now based in Brooklyn, New York. See more of his work on his website. 

Each week, we will be featuring an emerging Southern photographer as part of a new series, Eyes on the South, curated by photographer Jeff Rich. For information on how to submit your work for review, click here.