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In January of 1999 I installed "voice over. . ." The artworks were commissioned by the community center as part of an innovative collaboration between the Dovercourt Recreation Association and the City of Ottawa called "Artlink" . This coincided with the tenth anniversary of the opening of their new facility. These images are photomontages assembled on a computer which blend layers of images and text together using the extended idea of community as the theme. The pictures suggest different perspectives on a variety of things that bring a community together such as language, age, or shared interests and responsibilities in a poetic way. In order to strengthen the connection with Dovercourt the artwork was nearly all assembled from pictures taken by the staff and users of the center. While working on the project, I visited frequently with my equipment to work onsite so that I could solicit comments and input from the people who use this place. The title "voice over" was chosen to suggest the way a script and pictures work together in other media such as film. This image was the first in a series of 8. This image uses photo documentation of the great ice storm of 1998 which knocked out power distribution to some homes for as long as a month around here as well as devastating our parks and wooded areas. The community center operated as an emergency shelter for about a week during this crisis. |
