August 2007
David Barbour’s “HOME”
(September 13, 2007) As a part of the Festival X Photography Festival (Sept 20 to Sept 30, 2007), Galerie Lee Matasi Gallery at the Ottawa School of Art is proud to feature “Home,” the photography of David Barbour. In Ottawa, he photographs close to home with all the photographs within walking distance from his house.
David teaches photography in the Fine Arts Diploma and the Portfolio Certificate Programs at the Ottawa School of Art. These programs place an emphasis on attaining knowledge and skills that are fundamental to the practice of the visual arts. Each program is structured to provide access to study in a variety of studio areas.
HOME: Photographs by David Barbour
This series which I define as Home is a departure from the way I made photographs. For most of my career travel to foreign destinations for professional assignments or personal projects shaped the type of photograph I produced.
The challenge in this series was to capture the emotions of memory of places and people who have influenced me. Many of the night photographs are walking distance from where I live in Ottawa. The environment of the landscape became a comfortable place to be and and over the past decade, I included photographs taken in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Ontario and Quebec. All places where I or my family have strong connections.
To produce the photographs, I used a 4×5 Toyo Field camera with a 6x12cm back with black and white film. All the photographs are produced on Agfa Multicontrast fiber paper, in a darkroom.
Highlights to my career include a World Press Award (1986) for a photograph taken in Egypt and a Mid-Career Canada Council Grant (1999) to continue my personal work in Havana.