PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — From images of homeless encampments to wildfires and drought, photographer Thomas Broening says some of his best photos are beautiful and kind of terrifying at the same time.
“This gas pump is meant to fuel boats, but the water is so low, historically low, as you can see, it’s all dried out,” Broening said.
He has paid thousands of dollars in the last few months to put up billboards throughout California, including eight in Palm Springs. It’s all part of his personal project called, “The End of the Dream.”
He hopes the billboards displaying his photos will empower Californians and lawmakers to help change the nightmare unfolding across the state.
“All the problems are almost too hard to look at, so we become numb to them,” Broening said. “If anything’s going to change, the first thing we need to do is acknowledge that there are problems and right now, we’re not doing that.”
The photos don’t contain any text or call to action. They’re simply a harsh look at the darker side of the Golden State.
“We all have a part in getting us to where we are today, and I think shaming people isn’t going to work. Let’s just have people look at it first,” Broening said.
The project began two years ago when Broening, who grew up in Oakland, started taking pictures of an encampment near his house. He says he’s not pushing any political agenda or blaming anyone, but he wants the images to make people a little uncomfortable.
“My ultimate goal with this project is just to have people stop looking away. We’re acting like everything’s OK, that there is no problem, but really our house is on fire,” Broening said.
Besides the images themselves, he also focused his attention on where they were placed.
“I think it’s interesting the way the photograph interacts with the landscape. You have the green grass interacting with these ferns here,” he said, pointing to the natural surroundings.
He says roughly 100,000 people will see these billboards during the month or so they’re on display.
“I don’t expect these billboards to change our situation overnight. I just feel like I had to do something,” he said.
Broening has received mix reactions from his billboards, but like all works of art, he says there is no right way to respond. All he asks? Just don’t ignore it.