Photographer Captures America's Best-Kept Secrets

TRANSATLANTIC SUBMARINE CABLES REACHING LAND These submarine telecommunication cables extend thousands of miles across the Atlantic Ocean before reaching this endpoint in Avon, New Jersey. They transmit as many as 60 million simultaneous conversations. "There's a humor because the cables are so important, yet they look so unguarded and unimportant," Simon said.



CHERENKOV RADIATION, NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE FACILITY Submerged in a pool of water, these stainless-steel nuclear-waste capsules contain radioactive material. The water serves as a shield against the radiation emitted. Nearly 2,000 capsules reside at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State, which is considered among the most contaminated waste sites in the United States. "Radiation is a light source I've never worked with, so there was no visual reference to shoot (the images) from -- it was a leap of faith," Simon said. "I found this one section that resembled the U.S. That was a great find." The blue glow comes from an effect called Cherenkov radiation.



DEATH-ROW OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL FACILITY, "THE CAGE" At the Mansfield Correctional Institution in Ohio, death-row inmates are allowed one hour of outdoor recreation per day. There is only a chin-up bar inside the segregated cages, and inmates are not allowed to bring anything in with them. "It's a topic I was interested in personally, and it's an area that you come away from with so many vulnerabilities about the content," Simon said. "And the anxieties only grow when you make these discoveries."



For more amazing images take a look at Taryn Simon work.
Photo: Taryn Simon, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery / Wired Magazine