Censored Landscapes: The Hidden Reality of Farming Animals

Censored Landscapes is a compelling long-term photographic project that unveils the hidden reality of animal agriculture. Photographs, essays, poetry, and research together tell a factual story about the most abusive industry of the 21st century.

Isabella La Rocca González’s lens captures the haunting beauty of landscapes that portray the animal agricultural industry. A number displayed with each image represents the lives imprisoned within the facility, drawing attention to the magnitude of suffering behind the banal exteriors. Portraits of nonhuman animals who have been confined in such facilities are emblematic of the vast number of animals whose individuality, sentience, and beauty are obliterated by the industry.

Censored Landscapes maintains a lyrical quality through evocative photographs, poetry, and personal narrative. The project also provides a robust basis in verifiable facts and scientific research. Readers are encouraged to confront the intricate web of connections between animal agriculture, animal suffering, environmental devastation, worker exploitation, human health, economic political structures, and social justice. This book is a call to action, a revelation of the invisible, and an opportunity to see, feel, and make a difference.

Isabella La Rocca González is an artist, writer, and activist based in the United States. As the daughter of immigrants, she strives to reconcile values from her indigenous Mexican roots with her European heritage. Awards for her work include the Ferguson Grant from the Friends of Photography. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally, including a solo show at the Center for Photography in Woodstock. Her creative nonfiction works have been published in various outlets. Her screenplay, Fugue 9, was chosen as a finalist for the 2008 Sundance Screenwriters Lab. She received her BA in fine arts from the University of Pennsylvania, and her MFA in photography from Indiana University.