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Previous Exhibition
Spirit
Houses
Exhibition July 1 - 26
1 pm to 5 p.m.
Art has always been a major tool in the preservation and education of
history. Since the late 1800’s, photography, perhaps more so than any
other art form, has been at the forefront of these efforts. In the
tradition of historical photography, we are presenting one aspect of
this art by photographing native churches, largely in South West
British Columbia.
Our intention is to utilize photography to improve the awareness of
native cultural heritage - as an adjunct to written and oral
histories. We have selected native Christian churches as a touchstone
to this heritage and the interactions between cultures.
Churches are markers of history. We are unaware of any new native
churches being constructed and view these structures, for this reason
alone, as historically significant. Another aspect of significance is
the impact these churches have had on those whose lives are
intertwined by immediate association, and on generations of their
forefathers who have lived here. All British Columbians (as do all
North American societies) share these churches and the impact these
churches have had on native peoples, as part of their historical
heritage.
Native churches are sufficiently dissimilar from non native churches
that they remain unfamiliar to most people. Our role as photographers
is to convey the architecture and artistry of these spiritually
inspired structures to those who remain oblivious of this aspect of
native culture. Unfortunately we don’t have an extensive record of
many native churches on display here. In compensation we have focused
on the church at Skatin (Skookumchuck) as an early (ca 1800 AD) but
largely intact example. The importance of this church is reflected in
the efforts of the Ama Liisaos Heritage Trust Society to restore the
church to its former glory.
Native churches are a fusion of non native and native motifs - a key
to understanding the interactions of dissimilar cultures that have, in
some aspects, fused beyond mere coexistence. (construction type, alter
decorations, incorporation or adaptation of native symbols). To that
end we have tried to present a diversity of structures, from log
cabins, to adobe and wooden framed churches. It is worth noting that
in South West British Columbia, church construction techniques and
size, in general, seem similar. Here the differences lie in the
craftsmanship of the interiors and the care with which the
personalized altars and reredos were constructed. In the church at
Skookumchuck (Church of The Holy Mary), for instance, if one looks up
a dove of peace is seen suspended above the congregation.
We have elected to name our display as “Spirit Houses” as these
churches house the spirit of their communities. We hope we have been
successful in conveying our fascination with these churches, but
perhaps the real story is the desire of people to expend the creative
effort to construct a unique place of worship that reflects their
cultural and spiritual beliefs.
Andrew O’Neill
(andy8x10@gmail.com)
Andrew graduated from The University of Victoria with a Bachelor of
Fine Arts, honouring in drawing and printmaking. He has received no
formal training in photography and is self-taught. Andrew spent
several years in Japan photographing various subject matter. He works
in 4x5 and 8x10 traditional black and white photography. Andrew also
dabbles in alternative processes such as the Kallitype process (19th
Century process). He is mainly interested in subject matter that is of
a historical nature, such as the architecture of the late 19th and
earlier 20th centuries. Andrew currently teaches Media Arts at
Pinetree Secondary in Coquitlam.
Deniz Merdanogullari
(denomerdano@hotmail.com )
Deniz was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1983. Upon arrival in Canada in
2001 at the age of 18, his interest in fine art photography rapidly
increased. Deniz attended University College of the Fraser Valley for
Visual Arts and after graduation, continued his studies at the Emily
Carr Institute as a Photography Major. As he is about to finish his
final year, he is very excited about the possibilities of exploring
the photographic medium to its fullest. He shoots with a range of
formats from 6x6 cm to 8x10 inches.
John Fee (fee_john@hotmail.com
)
Based in Burnaby, John shoots a variety of formats with the view
camera (6x9,5x5 and 8x10). Major intresets include black and white
landscapes and architechture. Currently he is contact printing from
8x10 negatives. Darkroom and camera skills were largely self taught.
Currently exploring hybrid photography, shooting analogue, scanning
and printing digitally. John’s photographic objective is to leave a
record of the times he lives in and how he interprets the world.
Steve Pelton
(steve.pelton@gmail.com )
For Steve, photography is about discovery. When he puts camera to eye,
he sees the world in a different way and new worlds unfold. Patterns
of light, colour, texture and contrast are elements that engage him.
Steve looks for the ‘not so obvious’ scenes – the ones every one else
walks by he tries to pull out a photograph from the mundane or the
chaos. He works in a multiple of formats, from large format 4x5, 120,
panoramic and digital SLR.
The pictures below are a random selection of what
you can see at the Gallery and is intended to give you an overview of
the exhibition - to fully appreciate the art you really need to visit
the gallery in Queen's Park.
You can click on the thumbnail images below to see
a larger view of the item.
This page was last updated
on:
08/02/2008
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