Inkjet
prints, 14x43 in. per dyptych, 2007.
Wastelands.
The project developed from Landscape studies done around Burns Bog and the GVRD
landfill. After seeing a photo in Prefix Photo magazine titled something
like 'A tour of the wastelands of Sao Paolo,' consisting of a few images of
vacant city lots, bringing up the literal translation of a waste of land, unutilized
space (here in an urban environment.) Thinking along the lines of what variously
might e considered wasted space I tried to contrast different areas around Vancouver.
For those who have not recently been in Vancouver, the downtown area is experiencing
a huge amount of development, especially in preparation for the upcoming 2010
Winter Olympics. Earlier, for the Expo held in Vancouver, a large amount of
building, including BC Place stadium, was done around the False Creek area,
an inlet on the South side of downtown. Now, more dredging has been done to
create space for an Olympic athlete's village, immediately across from the previously
filled area on which several condominiums and the stadium (and adjacent empty
parking lot) sit. So I ask, what is a waste of land? Unbuildable terrain, subrurban
sprawl, dredged land for the Olympics or a parking lot, remote areas, the effects
of man's desire for control?
