Rocks presume a sense of stability, constancy and strength. We imagine them as immoveable and unyielding. Yet in reality, they exist within a slow progression of time, incrementally changing, or being changed, by their environment and other events. They are hardened liquid, molded, grinded, shaped, tossed, and split. Geological texts describe this activity as “fluid or flowing” or “folded and bent” - a history of land and time.
Canada is a geological wonder. Her landforms are spectacular and unique… demonstrating not only these violent beginnings, but also a historical timeline. The Rocky Mountains in the west are the youngsters… formed much later than the ancient landforms we see in central and eastern Canada. Separate sections arrived from different continents, exhibiting shapes and structure dictated by their origins. These regions continue to change in incremental ways through a gradual process of natural events and human interaction, especially as people filter into the most remote areas. Yet the bones, the original forms, continue to stand out…. one finds evidence of fire, water or wind embedded or carved into the present-day strata.
I photograph the influences of time and geological events on the Canadian landscape; it’s my way of unravelling history. Through my research I discover landforms that have been eroded or scoured off, where the underlying bedrock is exposed. Marble-edged canyons carved by glacial rivers, ragged cliffs along ocean edges, and barren islands in the Great Lakes feature strongly in my work. While the written history and scientific study of these remote places intrigues me and informs my work, the extraordinary visual aspects are what draw me in.
Much has been said recently about the “anthropocene” – a geological period when human activity has a significant impact on the natural processes of the earth, in some ways overtaking them. There is an assumption that these influences are permanent, and cannot be undone, yet I wonder what might come next as we move through this age. We tend to measure existence according to our own timeline; here we are, and here we’ll stay. But in reality, we are only a small part of the continuing story of this planet. I consider the fact that history often repeats itself, and I experience a feeling of continuity through the physical landforms I photograph; a sense that the earth is patient and will carry on in spite of us, in an on-going process of transformation.
