Northern Conspiracy

The wind-swept pine tree, a symbol of the Canadian north, is an iconic reference to the best-known subject matter of the Group of Seven artists. This series augments the collective memory we have of those paintings; the very idea of losing the landscapes that inspired the Group should send a shudder along the spines of all Canadians. But today we find ourselves living in a time where our Ontario government trades in public land with foreign corporations. Even the spot where Tom Thompson and A.Y. Jackson painted some of their most renowned works is under considerable threat of development.
This series is inspired by the land surveyors’ self-levelling laser, a tool used to carve up undeveloped land. The projected illumination creates great tension via the grid against the natural world; the device’s unnatural light on the trees sometimes leaving an aurora-like vapour in its wake suggesting an utterly destructive action set in motion. Photographed in Georgian Bay, with support from the Georgian Bay Land Trust and local guides, these photos aim to engage a broader conversation for Canadians about our natural resources, land conservancy, and how we value our national-identity-defining wild spaces.