ABOUT

Topophilia traces the 800 mile path of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), and examines one of the most historically productive oil routes in the United States. Completed in 1977, TAPS unique structure runs both above and underground through pristine Alaskan terrain-- up mountain passes, over frozen tundra,and across hundreds of rivers and streams. From numerous extraction points on the North Slope, hot crude oil is moved the entire length of Alaska via TAPS to the Valdez Marine Terminal, where ships load the petroleum before they voyage to ports around the world. This terminal was the initial point of departure for the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, which ran aground on the Bligh Reef in 1989 and resulted in the second largest oil spill in U.S. history.