George Webber: In This Place - Calgary 2004-2011

In this Place… is about Calgary.

But it is not the customary view, the postcard tourist view, the souvenir view, the view that lies solely on the surface, oblivious or indifferent to the life that unfolds below that surface, and beyond. This book is about the images, both written and graphic, of the themes that define the city. The overlooked, the feral, the discarded, the unexpected and mysterious. It is about looking backward and forward, inwardly and outwardly, like glimpses through a train window. It is about the images, both written and graphic, that piece together all those the hundreds of little clues to create a grand patchwork that identifies a place you might otherwise not see.

These images are about light – that addictive Calgary light, especially around those sweet hours at the beginning and the end of day. They are about what happens when a shaft of light penetrates a room and cleaves the space in two, a razor edge separating the darkness on the one side and light on the other, the precise place where the photographer chose to place his camera.

These images are about the capturing of all the tiny moments and improbable fragments, all the exquisite little slivers pulled from the stuff of everyday life. They are about the importance of finding beauty, meaning, and mystery in the place you live. These images are about a city that is in the process of transforming itself. They are a little reminder that you cannot take things for granted.