I'm pleased to announce that my photographic project, "The Ottawa Bubble," will be on display from May 2–31 as part of this year's @contactphoto Festival in Toronto. My venue is the ground floor of the Toronto School of Theology's admin building at 47 Queen's Park Cres E., Toronto ON M5S 2C3.
The building is housed on the University of Toronto's main campus, just a stone's throw from the Ontario Legislature. This confluence of Victorian-era structures and institutions is a fitting site for displaying my long-term project on Canada's House of Commons. Photographed in (with permission from the Speaker) and around the Commons over the better part of a year, I wanted to look at how issues of tradition, authority, and the need for democratic reform might be expressed visually.
As many of you will know, Canada's Westminster system was instituted at yet another time when the young Dominion faced repeated threats of American expansion. Inside the traditions of the Commons chambers, today’s MPs operate within increasingly centralized power structures where party leaders — especially the Prime Minister — hold unprecedented control, while Canadians observe through carefully managed television feeds that obscure how their elected representatives actually represent them. Cameras look in and look out, suggesting a transparency that may be more fantasy than reality.
"The Ottawa Bubble" examines Canada's Parliament, the insular world where politicians and bureaucrats can develop a distorted perspective on the vast country they govern. This look at the the corridors and chambers of the House of Commons reveal a 19th-century institution struggling to serve a modern G7 nation.
And, much like a Victorian-era novelty, Parliament’s picturesque scenes come alive when agitated, then settle back into decorative stillness.
I hope as many of you as are able will drop by to see my work!
If you are thinking of going out to see some Contact Photo shows...I will throw in a recommendation! @alanbulley 47 Queen's Park Crescent East, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C3. I have always liked an informed mind when it comes to art with an A. His take on the political sphere in Ottawa comes from an insider with a fair eye. A real treat!
A big thank-you to everyone who came to the opening of The Ottawa Bubble on Saturday afternoon. As all of you know, even a solo show requires the efforts a small, skilled army (or perhaps 'village' is better!). I want to offer particular thanks to @displaylaminating for coming through again with two monster vinyl prints (one of which is the snow globe over this beautiful fireplace); to master printer @fabricefoto for three stunning 24" x 36" prints (one of which is just to the left of the fireplace); and to @torschtheology for the generous offer of an ideal venue for a story that has its roots in a Canadian institution from the Victorian era. And last in order, but first in rank, thank you to @jackie.mckeown for too many things to mention here.
The work will be on display throughout the @contactphoto festival (May 1-31), so please feel free to visit over the next four weeks and let me know what you think!
I'm very proud to continue my association with @photoedmagazine , a Canadian publication that aims to "share photography stories in a brand new light."
The current themed issue deals with "Order vs. Chaos" and gave me the chance to write articles about the typology-based work of the late @richardjohnson_studio and to spend time exploring the constructed landscapes of @dbeverett .
If you have an interest in photography with its feet in Canada and its eyes on the world, consider becoming a subscriber or Patron!
Very happy to pick this up at the post office today. It may just look like a piece of paper, but it represents many hours of work, the stretching that only a challenging learning experience can bring, and a raft of new friends and contacts that I could never have imagined, both in Canada and overseas.
I'm still working through what I learned and made, but I think it's important to take a moment and thank the people who helped make it possible: @lisacbarnard , the course lead for @madocphotusw ; Professors @durden_leal and @_eileenlittle ; and the other members of my cohort (@edwiredjones ; @emir.han.demirel ; @herrzerr ; @josh_helliker ; and @madihamaliik ).
And I can't say thank you enough to family members who encouraged me, travelled with me, and listened to me blabbing on about theory, access to shooting locations, and photo layouts: @jackie.mckeown , @queen.vee.bee , and @cajobu !
Around the world each year, the number of refugees, asylum seekers, and other displaced persons runs into the millions.
Through their extensive projects, Ruth Kaplan & Isabelle Hayeur - two Canadian photographers are independently putting human faces to the statistics.
Read our BORDER STORIES feature in the MOVEMENT edition by @alanbulley
📷 @ruthkaplanfoto documented Roxham Road Border Site 🇨🇦 🇺🇸
ruthkaplanphoto.com
📷 @ihayeur documented Jacumba Hot Springs, California 🇺🇸 🇲🇽
isabelle-hayeur.com
Find this story (and more!) on Press Reader:
pressreader.com/magazines/m/photoed-magazine
or order a copy of issue #75 delivered in PRINT!
photoeditorial.art
Issue 75 ("Movement") of @photoedmagazine is now available and, as usual, it is beautiful. I am proud of my association with the last Canadian publication solely devoted to photography. I have three pieces in this issue, featuring the work of thoughtful artists like @ruthkaplanfoto and @ihayeur , and an interview with Ann Thomas, former Curator of Photography at @natgallerycan . I spoke to Ann as we enjoyed the public art along the Photo Walk developed by Ottawa's @spaocentre (which is celebrating its twentieth year of operation!).
You don't have to be Canadian to enjoy - or be featured in - @photoedmagazine , you just have to love photography.
As we are being reminded on a daily basis, democracy and freedom come at a cost. For most of us, that means participating actively as citizens committed to the welfare of our country, but for others it means paying the greatest price. We owe them a debt of gratitude and the duty to remember.
#remembranceday #jourdusouvenir #houseofcommons #chambredescommunes
I'm now reviewing the book I made during a three-day workshop in Cardiff with @alejandroacin_ and @lisacbarnard in the closing stages of the @madocphotusw course. The book contains a much larger set of photographs than I have been able to exhibit, as well as an essay that provides context for the project as a whole.
The title of my project — The Ottawa Bubble — will be familiar to anyone who has worked in Canada's National Capital Region, whether they worked in government or not. As a former public sector executive, I have an ongoing interest in the health of our public institutions and the most visible of these is the House of Commons. Given access to photograph inside the Commons, I compiled work that combines respect for the institution with a conviction that it needs to be updated to meet the challenges facing liberal democracies around the world.
Next step will be to resize the book from its current A3 format to a North American standard page. After that, I plan to have a limited number of copies printed for sale and for display to potential publishers.
Having built a body of work, I am also looking for venues where I can show it in Canada. Parts have been shown in London and at the Bienal Fotografia do Porto, but the natural context for the project is my home country.
A little follow-up to the degree show I took part in, along with the other members of my MA in Documentary Photography cohort.
I'm still processing the last two weeks, which consisted of a bookmaking workshop with @alejandroacin_ in Cardiff, followed by the show at Four Corners Gallery in Bethnal Green, London @fourcornerse2 . That's my handmade book (The Ottawa Bubble) with the green cover on the little writing desk in my installation.
Both activities helped me to cap off my learning in the two-year program by pushing me to think again about ways to present photographs effectively. I appreciate that not everyone is comfortable walking into a white cube gallery, so making my work accessible and affordable is important to me.
Printing on vinyl allowed me to make a bold 11' wide x 8.5' tall statement on one wall at a manageable price. Thanks to careful work by @displaylaminating in Ottawa, all six vertical strips aligned perfectly during installation. And I plan to rework my book as a print-on-demand item to keep its costs... democratic.
More to come after I complete the last submission for the MA in a few days.
In the meantime, many thanks to my family, friends and colleagues for their support.
Photo: @edwiredjones
Model: @emir.han.demirel
And we've opened the doors for the @madocphotusw 2025 degree show! Drop by to see us @fourcornerse2 in Bethnal Green this evening, it during the day Friday or Saturday.
If you're planning to be in London from Sept 11-13, grab your robes and hat and come see my project, "The Ottawa Bubble."
I'll be showing the work as part of my @madocphotusw MA degree show with the other members of my cohort at Four Corners Gallery in Bethnal Green, London @fourcornerse2 .
I am preoccupied with the state of public institutions that we often take for granted: accessible healthcare systems, impartial courts, schools and universities that promote the potential of each student, markets that pursue honesty as well as profit, and governments that create conditions to promote human flourishing for all citizens.
"The Ottawa Bubble" is an inside look at Canada's House of Commons, the country's most visible public institution. We are at an inflexion point when such institutions are being called into question. How do we participate in large governance structures that must deal with the paradoxical challenges of governance and representation?
@madocphotusw@edwiredjones@emir.han.demirel@herrzerr@madihamaliik@josh_helliker@jonathan.malloy@ourcommonsca
