In 2003 this space became Yonge-Dundas Square – an effort by the city to create a version of New York’s Times Square. But twenty yeas earlier, when this photo was taken, it was a parking lot. There was a lot more open space in the city back then. also fewer cars, and fewer people. I was on my way to classes at Ryerson and climbed a fire escape to get this image. These days it would require a drone, or a cherry picker.
From the book: Toronto Flashback (1980-1986) – available through Blurb Books, and Amazon.
With all of the bad things going on in the world, there are also plenty of good things happening. I’m trying my best to be optimistic and stay positive. Many of us flip through hundreds of photos a day, giving them the merest glance. I’m asking you to linger on this one a little longer, and think kind thoughts.
Danielle Houghton photographs everyday situations, yet has a knack for turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. With her keen eye she captures quirky, offbeat moments of suburban life. Her images are humourous and often have a surreal quality. Be sure to check out more of her wonderful work on Flickr and Observe Collective.
I asked her eight questions about her work and her current projects.
In street photography, timing is so important; you have great timing. You manage to get these really offbeat moments that are so memorable. Can you say a little about that?
Street photography is a strange mix of luck, being in the right place at the right time, trusting your instincts, and acting fast. It can also be about observation and anticipation where sometimes you just feel something is about to happen. With the former I hope my camera is ready and go for it without much thought and with the latter I usually stop and study the flow, rhythm, and timing of the scene and take several shots as it unfolds.
You’re a founding member of the Observe Collective. Can you tell me a bit about some of those projects you’re involved with?
The Observe Collective is four years old this week, and is very much based on friendship as well as photography. We are very excited to be hosting a festival in Iserlohn, Germany this coming July 14-16 called Observations which will feature exhibitions from VIA, EyeGoBananas, Full Frontal, Iserlohn’s VHS Photo Club, and ourselves. One of our aims is to promote the street community as a whole, so a juried street photography competition is part of the festival and we will continue hosting the street fight group on Flickr. In terms of Observe projects, we are in the process of producing our third magazine, the first two being available online. Obviously in the long term I would hope we would release a book.
You more or less came back to photography in 2010, after some years away from it. How has your photography evolved during the past seven years?
I think it has become more focused; I would like to think to a small degree I found my photographic voice, along with a greater understanding of the genre that is street photography.
Do you think there’s any connection between your mindset and the results you get? Do you have any advice for getting into the zone?
I definitely think there is a connection; besides being visually observant, I think you need to be open to and follow your instincts. With street photography, there is also a degree of assertiveness required as some people do find it invasive. As I am normally with family doing day to day activities when I shoot, I think I have had to become receptive to random opportunities as they arise rather than being ‘in the zone’. On the occasions I shoot alone, I have been told I become dogged!
I don’t know you, but it feels as if your personality comes through in your photos. Do you think it does?
You would probably have to ask those that know me if that is true! I think my humour is somewhat dry, so that probably comes across, especially when I incorporate animals into a shot. I genuinely find people very interesting in a positive way so I would hope that ties in with my optimistic side. Street photography for me is about observing people, animals, and situations; I try to show something that is different, moving, or quirky about who or what I shoot.
What are some of your goals for the next few years?
My main goal would be to keep on shooting. I am not aiming to engage in photography on a professional basis, but would like to produce a book in some format either with Observe Collective, or on my own, or both. I was very honoured to be included in David Gibson’s current book – 100 Great Street Photographs.
Do you like the region or city you live in? Do you like your home? Do these affect your photography?
I do like where I live, and feel I am very lucky to be here. There has only been one year when I was a bit disillusioned with Dublin during the Celtic Tiger, but we have moved on from that and regained our humour and genuine love of life. One of the things I appreciate most is that I am only 20 minutes drive away from either a beach, a mountain, the countryside, or the city centre. Living in the suburbs, my photography has had to adapt to a quieter more observational pace than if I lived in a more bustling environment, but I love thanking advantage of the nice scenery nearby, especially the coast.
Can you tell me briefly about a couple of photographers I might not be familiar with yet, but whose work you recommend checking out?
Quite well known would be Stephen Gill as for me he marries art and photography in a very original refreshing way. You also probably know her already, but Rinko Kawauchi is very unique in the delicateness she brings to shooting everyday things. In terms of Flickr friends, there are a lot I could mention, but I will give a nod to the lovely Maria Kappatou, who has a great eye for intensity and beauty in people, and Gabi Ben Avraham who captures amazing quality filled frames.
Many thanks to Danielle for doing this interview. I’m so appreciative of her thoughtful answers that provide insight into her work. She has such a unique vision of the world–be sure to check out her work on Flickr and Observe Collective.
Stacy Blint creates art that captures experiences, possibilities, and instances of the human condition. Looking at Stacy’s work is a visual treat. I am reminded that art is a free-flowing, organic force that combines everything life has to offer.I like her multi-disciplinary approach and her use of humour. You can see a creative mind at work. To see more, check out her website.
I asked her eight questions about her work and her current projects.
Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from, and where do you live now?
I was born and raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Birthplace of Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar, and home to three Nike missile sites during the Cold War. Waukesha also has long held the distinction of being part of one of the most segregated metropolitan areas in the country.
My father was a pharmacist and owned his own pharmacy. When I was young my drawings covered the walls in his store. A woman with a turkey on her head in the shape of a bouffant hairdo. Lots of princesses and cubes. It was my grandmother who taught me to draw three-dimensional shapes. Hearts, stars, rectangles, triangles; with my special power I could make any of them contain space.
In 1988, I moved to New York City to study painting at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, situated between Fort Greene and Bedford-Stuyvesant. I arrived at the height of both the crack and AIDS epidemics. This is something I have written about extensively in a soon to be released manuscript.
Currently I live in Wisconsin and enjoy its rich and not so distant history of pioneers and settlers. Compared to other middle western states, Wisconsin itself is somewhat eccentric.
There are the serial killers; Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, Walter Ellis, David Spanbauer. The Green Bay Packers, beer, cheese, and proximity to Lake Michigan round out the offering. Family is also here. My father’s grandparents were the first generation in America, settling as dairy farmers in Wisconsin from Switzerland.
I also have an amazing and beautiful 16 year old daughter. My life partner is the brilliant poet Mike Hauser. Professionally I work as a creative director.
I have been impressed with your collages, photos, and poetry. What do you consider to be your primary medium?
Listening and being. For as long as I can remember there has been a dialog taking place within the work itself, often between the modalities of the written and the visual. There have been moments over the years that these forms have merged to become installation, video, or performance. For me it’s really about what the work requires independent of medium.
I attempt to create a dialog between the visual and the written, to capture experiences, possibilities, and instances of the human condition—its splendor, its vulgarity, and its weird and comic manner. I am interested in exploring the domestic, the daily, the mundane, the overlooked, dreams, family, love, death, and relationships in my work.
Currently I am in the process of documenting The Art Bunker, a site-specific environment that draws on a strong affinity with one of my earliest influences, the Wisconsin artist Mary Nohl.
Additionally, I cultivate a daily studio practice that includes writing, photography, and mixed media pieces. I like to make things with my hands and am fascinated by the hauntology present in the layering of these pieces.
Tell me a bit about your Disappearing Books project.
Based on the premise that with each breath we are erased a little, Disappearing Books is an ongoing multidisciplinary project that began about 7 years ago. A disappearing book is a one of a kind piece of art. As the reader ‘reads’ the book it’s original form is obliterated. It cannot be ‘read’ the same way twice.
There is a mail art component to these pieces. To date 19 books have been documented and shared with people in several countries, including Japan, Canada, England, Germany, Austria, South Africa, and America. As the concept evolves I find myself drawn to explore more performative aspects.
Nature inspires me, unexpected combinations or words and images inspire me, music inspires me. Inspiration can come from anywhere and is most powerful when informed by an acute awareness that time is short.
Many thanks to Stacy for doing this interview. I’m so appreciative of her thoughtful answers that provide insight into her work. Her art is always a source of inspiration.
Awhile ago I discovered an old slide taken at a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game years earlier. I didn’t remember much about it.
I knew I’d taken it in May 1978—a memorable time in my life. I was on my way to Germany for a university student work program. It was my first trip on an airplane, and my first time in Toronto.
I also recalled that the Montreal Canadiens had defeated the Boston Bruins on that day to win the Stanley Cup. From this fact, I figured out online that the game had been May 25, 1978—a Thursday. A baseball reference website told me all the details. The player at bat was Tom Hutton (#14) and the player on deck was Otto Velez (#19). The Boston Red Sox defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 9-5, with relief pitcher Dennis Eckersley getting the win. The game was held at the old Exhibition Stadium, a venue that was also the field for the Toronto Argonauts football team. The attendance at the game was 17, 197 for the fledgling Jays, who were struggling through their second season.
I’ve found Google Maps Streetview to be another valuable resource for finding the exact location of old photos. There is a sense of satisfaction in piecing together old memories. It helps me remember more details of a photo, or an event. How did I get to the game, who did I go with, what did I do afterwards?
It’s impossible to go back in time, but often it is possible to reconstruct the details of a photo. This can be a worthwhile endeavor as the past recedes further in the distance. Not every day will be one you’ll care to return to in memory; not every ball game is one you would want to sit through again. There are plenty of elements of our past lives that are better left in the past. But, for those memories that are a pleasure to recall, using photo sleuthing to retrieve forgotten bits of the day can add greatly to the texture of a treasured memory.
