Caves are intrinsically mysterious, beautiful places, which of course makes them great places to explore. But they tend to be dark, deep and occasionally dangerous, which means they need various safety features and amenities to be visitor-friendly. The results are sometimes garish, occasionally comical, and often spectacular in their own way.

Austin Irving became interested in caves a few years ago during two consecutive trips to southeast Asia, where she was drawn to photographing the "spectacle and kitsch" of the modified natural wonders. When she started visiting caves in the United States, she was struck by the commonalities in the aesthetics.

“There’s this kind of collective fantasy of what a cave should look like that's not actually specific to any kind of country or region. There’s always crazy elaborate lighting and the logistical elements like railings and cement floors that humans have to bring in to make the caves accessible for the money-giving public,” she said.

As Irving has traveled widely for her ongoing series, Show Caves, exploring how artificial elements introduced to otherwise beautiful formations—a pavilion at Batu Cave* *in Malaysia, a T-shirt stand deep within Carlsbad Cavern, and the utterly bizarre penguin-shaped trashcans at Dau Go in Vietnam—reveal the influence of a human designer. “They've basically been curated," she said of the caves. "Someone made a choice about which stalagmite or stalactite to light. There's a lot of consideration that goes into the experience of these caves. I love the juxtaposition of the kitschy tourist addition to the insane natural beauty.”

Irving found little difference in the aesthetics of Asian and American caves, but had far greater latitude to roam freely in Asia. Here in the US, where caves often are privately owned businesses, she had to rely upon tour guides to show her around. That often was an advantage, though, as many led her to “parts of the caves that nobody gets to see.”

When working in the caves, Irving shoots with a 4-by-5 camera and takes long exposures of eight to 30 minutes. Slow film causes the light to be absorbed “super erratically,” making for a deeply saturated, sci-fi look. The artificial lights make Irving’s job easier, but she wonders what is lost when nature is Disneyfied in such a way.

“I'm hoping the project poses a question: Are these additions acts of vandalism destroying a delicate ecosystem, or are these human interventions drawing attention to the caves and making these locations that are hard to access available to appreciate?” she said.