Statement
I photograph where I live - which happens to be Canadian prairies. I photograph the way I feel observing these spaces at a particular time and place.
I've always been fascinated - perhaps even obsessed - by the formal properities of photographs. The way a photograph can simultaneously be a two dimensional abstract of shapes, textures and colours and a representation of a physical, three dimensional space. I see the kinds of shapes, textures and colours that might appear in an abstract painting. I think we respond to these forms and colours in their own right - quite apart from their relationship to the subject matter. There is something universal and fundamental about them. They appear both in landscapes and in the purely invented creations of artists.
The formal structure of my photographs is overt. A reflection of an ordered, somewhat austere and even minimalist aesthetic. But its also a source of emotional power by emphasisizing the transient nature of the moment. My photographs, like all photographs, are a point of view cropped from time and place - exploiting that unique characteristic of the photographic medium - it's inherent relationship to that particular time and place.
And as I've explored more dimensions of the prairie landscapes I've come to realize that the formal structures are both a reflection of and commentary on the spaces. The Prairie Waters photographs are organic, ancient and timeless. The Roads and Horizons photographs are precise and machined - a reflection of the taming and industrialization of much of the modern prairie.
Horizons (2005 - 2006)
The horizon line is a defining feature of the prairies. As you move through the prairie landscape the undulating landforms alternately hide and reveal objects on the horizon line. The way the landscape looks depends on where you stand, the time of day and the time of year.
Centering the horizon line abstracts the space in to colour fields punctuated by objects and forms. These objects establish the sense of scale one feels in these places. The formal structure reveals landscapes that are at once suprisingly uniform while at the same time being rich in texture and small details. The transformation of the land by agriculture is evident in many of the photographs.
This structured approach establishes a more objective relationship with the representation of the rural landscape - allowing one to experience it as it is without the sentimental overlays so often employed with this subject matter.
Roads (2005)
Roads have provided the means for domesticating the rural landscape.
By photographing across rather than down the roads I show them as part of the landscape rather than in the more conventional way: as a means for travelling through it. From this point of view the prairie landscape naturally renders itself in to a series of horizontal lines. Formally, I see them as reminiscent of a modern painting constructed with bold horizontal lines - which seems appropriate since they are a view of the modern prairie. The landscape and the art were probably shaped by many of the same human forces.
There's little in these photographs that identifies the place. They are rather ordinary - - not the sort of spectacular view that tends to be marked by a roadside turnout. They are more a representation of how it feels to stand in this kind of a space. Yet, the elements are arranged in such a precise way that the view is necessarily a unique one of a particular place.
Prairie Waters (2004-2005)
The Prairie Waters photographs are of little more than sky, mud, water, snow and ice - nature stripped to its essence. They are framed to create ambiguity and abstraction revealing the imprint of natural forces on these landscapes.
They are improvisational. I am alert to the opportunities presented by transient conditions - to those fortuitous moments when land and sky seem to complement and echo each other - a sort of 'decisive moment' approach to landscape photography. I returned many times to the same locations: seasons and weather result in different interpretations on the same 'view' - a testament to nature's ability to re-shape vast spaces.
With further viewing, these images resolve into the vast, flat landscapes they are. Richness and vibrancy is amplified by repetition and scale and the land seems to achieve a balance with the sky . In a space without trees or hills you can see for a long way and when you see nothing much you realize that you are small and alone. You realize how insignificant a person can be before these natural forces operating on a grand scale.
Eric Fredine
November, 2006