David Maisel (born 1961)[1][2] is an American photographer and visual artist whose works explore vestiges and remnants of civilizations both past and present.

The series includes surreal and graphic images of open pit mines, cyanide leaching fields, military testing, water reclamation projects, and urban sprawl.

In 2016 Maisel gave a lecture at Harvard University Graduate School of Design on Black Maps, moderated by Neil Brenner with panelists Pierre Bélanger, Rosetta Sarah Elkin, and Sharon Harper.

The human ash and copper have reacted chemically, causing colorful mineral blooms on the surface of the cans, which are presented as full-frame portraits against black backgrounds.

He began the project while a Scholar in Residence at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles[26] and continued the work at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.