a dream / a memory – Troy Nickle
a dream / a memory – Troy Nickle
Exhibition Opening November 12, 7pm – 9pm
In this exhibition a dream / a memory I am interested in how the photographic image is a documentation of something that has already passed, something that is no longer, but remains as residue or imprint much like a dream or memory is an imprint on our consciousness.
In the spring of 2021, I began looking at medium format film cameras and while searching Facebook, found a cheap plastic camera called a Holga for sale. I decided to buy the camera not knowing much about it. After some research l discovered that this camera was made in China in the early 1980’s and was intended to provide an inexpensive mass-market camera to the Chinese working-class. The Holga’s cheap plastic construction and meniscus lens often yield pictures that display vignetting, blur, light leaks and other distortions. It is for these reasons that I love shooting with the Holga. The photographs seem to have a dreamlike, almost surreal quality to them. There are qualities about shooting in film with this unique camera that you can never mimic with a digital camera.
I began to take the camera with me on hikes and trips during the spring and summer of 2021 and 2022, my main subject became the landscape and the photographs I took were explorations on the formations of the land, and landscapes that may seem otherworldly or places from a dream. All of the photographs have been shot with the Holga on 120mm medium format film in black and white or colour. The negative film has been scanned and then printed. These photographs are an ongoing series that started in May of 2021 to the present day. It is my hope that you will enjoy the unique and magical qualities of the images as much as I do.
Troy Nickle is an environmental artist currently living in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, which lies on Treaty 7 territory, the traditional lands of the Blackfoot Nations. He considers his ephemeral interventions in the landscape, installations in the gallery, sculpture, printmaking and photography as collaborations with nature and contemplations on the natural world. His practice often involves altering or reordering natural materials, and changing their context to bring about a transformation of space either in the gallery or in-situ in the landscape. Nickle spends a lot of his time exploring the river valleys, mountains and foothills of southern Alberta, an activity that allows him to intimately connect with his surroundings and influence the work he makes.
Date:November 12th, 2022 - January 14th, 2023
Location:Casa - Passage Gallery
Casa Program Guide
The Casa Program Guide is produced three times a year; Winter, Spring/Summer and Fall. Inside the guide find listings for the upcoming class and workshop schedule, upcoming exhibitions at The Gallery, information about artists in residence and seasonal events in the building. Program guides are free. Pick-up guides at Casa or at facilities throughout the city.