Art for Everyone : Public Art Installations

The first writing tip that seems to be handed out to prospective writers is “Write what you know.” This certainly seems to be a sound piece of advice, as an informed opinion or idea is better than an uninformed one. The corollary for photographers would be “Photograph what you see.” Again, the informed viewpoint and familiarity with the subject would offer many advantages over the stranger’s.

I live in London. Not the big one, in England, one of the little ones, in Ontario, Canada. There is a certain apology that goes along with explaining you live in London, but not THAT London. This is further complicated by the fact that we have a Thames River, a Piccadilly St, and a Covent Garden. How this city looks, however, is nothing like any of its counterparts across the Atlantic.

So, what do I see when I travel around London, ON? I see whole lot of things that get passed by by people who live here. As with any city, and hometown, the little things blend into one big blur in the drive to work, or the bus ride to school, or the walk downtown. I see my role as a photographer as one a highlighting the little things missed.

What I am going to begin here is an exploration of London, Ontario, in a series of photo essays. There is no rhyme or reason to the order of what I am trying out here, the viewer is subject to my whims and flights of fancy.

Art for Everyone: Sculpture and painting in public spaces.

London is known as ‘The Forest City’, apparently from the days when its location was carved out by cutting down swaths of trees to make room for roads and buildings.  Literally, London was the City in the Forest. Over time, the value of trees in the urban environment has increased, and London has been focused on how many trees still remain in our city. The city symbol is this. However, lately there have been a couple of ideas floated about that keep the idea of trees in the urban setting, with no actual living trees, per se.

The first idea that I would like to show you is The London Tree Trunk Tour. Their website gives an overview of the project and every official location. The project is a way of creating something out of nothing, really. Large trees do not last forever, and rather than grinding a tree stump into nothing, partnerships have been formed to create some art out of the remaining trunk. Click away to see the results, and my take on each.

Overview: Tree Trunk Tour