November: A time for remembrance - w(ar)t

November is a solemn month that prompts us to reflect on past wars, and all the possible emotions that come with it.  

In the context of war, the spirit of remembrance nudges us to accept and play with a full spectrum of emotions.   For me, I have come to understand that it is OK to carve out moments for confusion; moments for sadness; moments for gratefulness; moments for strength, confidence, and tenacity; and moments for creativity that swirl all these notions together.  Generally, my emotions on the topic of remembrance flow in this order – is it the same for you?  

Over the next month, my blog will profile depictions of war through public art – something I personally call w(ar)t.   The synergy between war and art is shockingly interesting to me, and everywhere present.  Case in point:  In my early days of photography, I really enjoyed photographing statues – still do.  They are easy to work with, and they often have the stamina needed to patiently endure my desire to continuously experiment with different camera and lighting techniques.   As I began photographing more and more statues around my hometown, and during my worldly travels, I started to realize that a significant number of statues are in some form or fashion a derivative of war and remembrance.  

So, to kick off my November blog series on w(ar)t, I begin with an image that solidifies the theme – it features the National Gallery of Canada in the background, and one part of “Reconciliation, The Peacekeeping Monument” in the foreground.   Together, my connection of these two unique things in a shared social space aims to profile the very common interplay between war and art.   With my added layer of photography, which is already fixated on the preservation of moments in time for the purposes of facilitating recall, we can collectively share a swirl of emotions.  

To learn more about the history of this monument, and its artists, click here.