Large matters: contemporary Canadian large-format photography

A lecture by Stefan Rose, City of Kitchener Artist-in-Residence

Sunday, February 21, 2 p.m., Conestoga Room, ground floor, Kitchener City Hall.

The image of a photographer hidden under a dark cloth behind a large camera is one straight out of the movies. But did you know that these kinds of cameras are still in use, and are still relevant in today’s digital age?

Kitchener’s artist-in-residence for 2010, Stefan Rose, uses these cameras for his work. Join him on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 2 p.m. in the Conestoga Room at Kitchener City Hall, to find out why large cameras that use sheets of film (up to 8 inches x 20 inches in size) are still relevant in the digital age and important to today’s artists.

The session, “Large Matters: Contemporary Canadian Large-Format Photography,” takes a peek beneath the cloth. Find out which Canadian artists still use this format of photography, including photographers in Kitchener-Waterloo.

This is the first in a series of public talks by Rose, who will also explore the effects of landscape and geography on people’s community-building experiences, using photography, videography, and poetry during his residency.

The year-long program, entitled “Grand River: Grand Conversations,” will be showcased in a number of locations, including the Rotunda Gallery, and inside Grand River Transit buses, along with a publication, and video.

“The project will visually investigate the Grand River and its tributaries, and the place they occupy within the geography and the imaginations of the residents of Kitchener and area,” said Rose, who will engage in conversation with residents about their experiences with the river throughout the program. “I’m interested in hearing from Kitchener residents why the Grand River is significant to them; e-mails can be sent to GrandConversations@live.ca.”

Born in Leeds, England, Rose immigrated to Canada in 1977. He uses a large-format banquet camera, among others, for his creative work. He has exhibited his photographs in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and has collaborated with other artists across many media.

His collaborative works include Townsend Retraced, 2004 (with Laura Cunningham and Hilary Martin); Death by Chocolate, 2008 (with photographer Andrew Wright), and several video works commissioned by the Penderecki String Quartet, to accompany their performances across Canada and internationally. In 2008 his book of poetry, The House That Stands, was published by Anchorage Press, and in February it will be representing Canada in competition at the World Book Design Awards in Leipzig, Germany.