Of the thesis entitled: The Detail, Photographed: Reimagining the Monument
Abstract:
Architectural
monuments
lie
scattered
in
small
communities
throughout
Ontario,
hidden
by
the
everyday,
masked
by
the
sub-urban
streets.
The
sub-urban
streets
where
I
lived
felt
impersonal
and
unnatural,
with
cookie-cutter
designs
and
sterile
atmosphere,
with
no
sense
of
place.
This
lack
of
character,
this
illusion
of
the
perfect
suburbs,
inspired
the
search
that
went
beyond
the
ordinary
to
seek
out
extraordinary.
I began a pursuit to find monuments with value, to explore their histories, to observe their architecture, to photograph with a new perspective. I chose eight distinct heritage buildings to explore. Each preserves an identity, each holds expression, manifests character, each became a monument to my observations. One can appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into every detail, the craft that went into every patterned brick, the design that locates the heart of the home. Observations shape unnoticed potentials; they change each building, bringing it into the present. A photograph must do more than freeze time. Photography, like other creative acts, must interpret its subject matter. A photograph is powerful; it can be uplifting, it can be insightful, moving, and even imaginative. But when a photograph is part of a series of photographs, an accumulation of details that unfolds the story of a building, then it’s not just about what an individual photo says by itself, but instead it is about how the image forms connections with other stories, histories, forces, and sensations.
This thesis in its entirety is an experiment, formed from individual elements brought together, creating unforeseen connections. It is for the observer to define what they see in the history, the images, and the narrative.
The examining committee is as follows:
Supervisor:
Rick Haldenby, University of Waterloo
Committee Members:
Val
Rynnimeri,
University
of
Waterloo
Donald
McKay,
University
of
Waterloo
External Reader:
Robert McNair
The
committee
has
been
approved
as
authorized
by
the
Graduate
Studies
Committee.
The
Defence
Examination
will
take
place:
Monday
January
22,
2019
11:00
AM
ARC
3506
LOFT
GALLERY
A
copy
of
the
thesis
is
available
for
perusal
in
ARC
2106A.