Hometown Series at the Esplanade Gallery

If you find yourself in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta over the next 5 months, have a look at the Tumbleweed Spaces that line the exterior of the Esplanade gallery.

Since 2012, I've sporadically shot thousands of images of Medicine Hat as part of a collection I've referred to as "the Hometown Series" and if you've followed me at any point in the last decade there's a good chance you've seen a part of it randomly pop up in your feed. The Hometown Series became so popular over lockdown that you may even have a print from it hanging in your home at this point.

This new installation was just completed last week and features 24 panels with over 150 variations from the series. It's also been a rare excuse for me to take stock of just how big this collection has become without having a specific end date or purpose in mind - it was always more about challenging myself to create and share something in the moment amidst a myriad of other projects.

As I described in my notes it's become a digital tapestry of my community, but in its simplest form, it's really just an excuse to look at the familiar in a less familiar way.

Of course, this exhibition wouldn't have happened without all of you and your support. It also wouldn't have happened without the amazing team at TREX Southeast who were the ones who nudged me to consider doing this and presented the opportunity a year ago.

It's amazing what time and a little creative energy can turn into. Thank you all for the push and for continuing to share the ride!

Shooting New York City on (Expired) 35mm

This old Minolta may not look like much, but it was the only camera my parents used to capture my childhood. Needless to say, I don't think it had taken a single picture in over 20 years.

So, I thoroughly cleaned it, I found some very expired 35mm rolls of Kodak Gold, and I put it in my bag to capture some snapshots on my latest round of travel shoots in New York City.

Despite discovering the auto focus meter no longer worked and a little bit of bleed on the film, overall I was just pleased the experiment worked. Here's some of what developed.

Another Round of Travel Shoots in New York City

This spring I was back in New York City to add to an already extensive collection of travel shoots around the five boroughs. Making this series particularly memorable was the timing of the solar eclipse and some ongoing discussions about my documentary "Your Cinema Needs You", which inspired me to search out the oldest surviving cinema remaining in NYC.

These latest shoots included new observation decks, popular filming locations, and hotels, but to an even larger extent, a lot more general street photography to round out some of the more specific shoots from past visits. The weather was incredible and I managed to cover a lot more ground than I had planned for which was all a bonus. Expect to see a lot more New York City highlights from this series in the months ahead. 

 

Finding the Oldest Cinema in New York City

Your Cinema Needs You has made it to NYC where I've been in ongoing discussions about further festival placements and screenings for the documentary this year. Fingers crossed. 

A few meetings aren't much of a storyline though, so I made my way to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to search out what is believed to be the oldest, surviving, purpose-built cinema remaining in all 5 boroughs of New York City.

This is the Alpine Cinema, originally the Loew's Alpine built in 1921.

The Alpine is a rare holdout in a city that has demolished some incredible structures. And, despite numerous older live theatre venues which have survived, there are but a few relics from the silent era of movies still standing in New York City today. 

It's one more thing that makes the documentary about the Monarch Theatre in Medicine Hat, Alberta special. The Monarch Theatre (built in 1911) has the oldest surviving New York City cinema beat by a full decade, and needless to say, New York had a bit of a leg up with hundreds and hundreds of cinemas built here over the last century.

It makes you realize that cinemas like the Alpine and the Monarch really are diamonds in the rough. Also, I've become a bit hooked on visiting them in person.

Solar Eclipse in Central Park in New York City

A few snapshots from watching the solar eclipse in Central Park this afternoon. 

 

New Art Installation: Coming Soon!

Hey, folks! I've been keeping a little secret. I've got a free public exhibition featuring my "Hometown Series" going up in downtown Medicine Hat, Alberta this month. You won't even have to get out of your car to catch a glimpse of it. Stay tuned for the reveal as the installation is completed over the next week or two.

Official Selections & A Best Director Nomination

Today happens to be my birthday, and while this would be reason enough to celebrate on any other year, this birthday already feels different because some incredibly positive news about my documentary on the Monarch Theatre has started rolling in over the last few weeks. 

With the spring film festival season only just beginning, notifications of the very first official selections for "Your Cinema Needs You" started showing up in my inbox a couple weeks ago. Previews of the documentary this month brought the story about Canada's oldest surviving cinema to Lisbon, Los Angeles, Dresden, Stockholm, Chicago, and Berlin. If that wasn't enough, I just found out this week that, "Your Cinema Needs You" was shortlisted for two Best Documentary awards, and received a festival nomination for Best Director in the feature documentary category. My chances of winning are slim, but still, a pleasure to be nominated and all that jazz.

On my birthday last year (and for much of 2023) I was deep in post-production and I posted frequently about if this movie was ever going to be finished, if I was going to get the ending I'd been holding out for, if the premiere would actually happen, and if the Monarch Theatre would finally reopen. Honestly, it would've saved me so much stress if I could've predicted that any of this would've worked out quite so well. 

I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a lot more exciting stories to share this year, so let me just say thank you again! Thank you to everyone who was involved in making this, who supported this multi-year project, who contributed to it, who attended the screenings, etc. etc. It's so awesome to see this through so many fresh eyes and to even have to opportunity to share this experience with you. 

What a great day to have cake in the house lol.

Empire State Building in New York City

Opened in 1931, the Empire State Building in New York City was the tallest skyscraper in the world for nearly four decades. Despite being surpassed in height, few buildings have come to define the art-deco style, the stereotypical visual of the skyscraper itself, and New York City quite so commandingly as the Empire State Building still does today.