Clean Suit

Eric William Carroll’s work as an observer to several security-restricted sites for scientific research involved working closely with scientists to understand the material culture of their practices as well as the professional cultures within each of these sites. Noting the relative lack of racial diversity throughout these sites, Carroll sought to portray the absences of Black and brown people through poignant visual compositions. These haunting images of disembodied black gloves and deflated white hazmat suits raise multiple spectres, particularly in the last case, as the pointed hood of the suit seems all too reminiscent of a Klan costume—and provoke new questions about the future of American science.