There is something striking about the sparse landscapes of Northern and Western Pennsylvania. Rolling hills and stands of trees populate the wide expanses of open space, foreign enough to us Southeasterners that it’s hard to believe it is the same state. But there is something else that sets these locations apart, and it’s a much more recent development flowing forth from the rock formations deep underfoot. At the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC), a Knight Arts grantee, one can catch a glimpse of the seemingly distant world of hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus shale deposits – commonly called fracking – and the lives of those it impacts. Capturing scenes of the industry at work and the lives of local residents in its shadow, the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project (MSDP) stems from the work of Noah Addis, Nina Berman, Brian Cohen, Scott Goldsmith, Lynn Johnson, and Martha Rial, who have been documenting the Western Pennsylvania drilling operations since 2012. Brian Cohen, “Janet McIntyre meets with Emily Collins of the University of Pittsburgh Environmental Law Clinic. 01/30/2012.” Photo courtesy the MSDP. Many images line the walls of the PPAC gallery, and their range of content varies as much as their subjects. Throughout the project, the photographers traveled across the Commonwealth to meet with parties and individuals including doctors, farmers, legal teams, engineers, homeowners, families and many others in order to garner the most detailed vision of how the Marcellus shale boom has affected communities. Having met with advocates for the process, workers and those who have benefited financially, along with casual protestors, full-blown activists, and those suffering health complications related to natural gas extraction, the breadth of the stories here is staggering, and they are oftentimes intensely personal. Martha Rial, “Tri-County Oil and Gas Expo at the Washington Fairgrounds, Washington PA.” Photo courtesy the MSDP. Martha Rial captures some benign images from within the industry, including an Oil & Gas Expo in Washington County. The hard hats, slogans, and smiling faces depict a business just like any other, but away from the sale of safety equipment, it would seem that many people who coexist with the gas drilling companies do not always feel especially safe. In fact, unlike the workers, many of them don’t have much of a choice in the matter. Nina Berman, “Dana Dolney, a breast cancer survivor, protests against gas drilling and the technique of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) outside Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) office where the Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission was holding a meeting.” Photo courtesy the MSDP. Some of the loudest voices here are the ones that hold signs – the fracking opponents that take their messages to the public using one of America’s oldest forms of dissent. Occasionally as simple as the word “frack” crossed out in the middle of a red circle, other criticisms question the taxation of these operations, and most importantly, the ways in which their activities jeopardize our health and environment. If seeing is believing, other demonstrations are even more biting. Nina Berman shows us a mug filled with tap water from the sink of Jodie Simons that is discolored and frothy. Simons says that after a couple of wells were drilled near their home, some of their animals died and their daughter got sick until she stopped drinking and bathing in water from the faucets. We also find Nick DeRemer, a kayak instructor who points out bubbles of methane issuing forth from the Susquehanna River, which he attributes to fracking. This flammable gas makes it possible for some residents to ignite their tap water or the surface of nearby waterways with a simple cigarette lighter–yet another scene we find occurring in the Simons household. Noah Addis, “Carol Jean ‘Jeannie’ Moton poses for a portrait at her home in Avella, PA on 04/29/2012.” Photo courtesy the MSDP. Photos by Noah Addis are fairly evenly divided into portraits of residents and lush vistas interrupted by pipelines. Through Addis’s photos we meet the likes of Fred McIntyre, who has transitioned his family into drinking only bottled water, and Carol Jean “Jeannie” Morton, who tells us of skin lesions, hot flashes and bone pain since the first well was drilled close to her home in 2006. Noah Addis, “View of a natural gas pipeline under construction in Franklin Township, PA on 05/01/2012.” Photo courtesy the MSDP. Up the side of a hill in Franklin Township, the fields and forests are themselves fractured by a muddy trail and a gas pipeline in mid-assembly. These harsh contrasts to the terrain are depicted frequently by Addis through tall, brightly lit drilling rigs that represent far more than merely a glaring eyesore. The method of drawing out gas from geological deposits across Pennsylvania and beyond is a highly contentious one. Wherever people serve to make a profit, they will seize the opportunity, but what happens when these actions directly impinge on their neighbors? That scenario is by no means a hypothetical one, it is happening right now, not too far from where many of us live. Thanks to the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project, we can garner some understanding about issues that, although seemingly remote, are practically in our own backyard. PPAC will have the Marcellus Shale Documentary Project on display through May 30 with a panel discussion on Wednesday, May 27 from 6-7 p.m.   Philadelphia Photo Arts Center is located in the Crane Arts Building at 1400 N. American St., Philadelphia; 215-232-5678; philaphotoarts.org.