Building Community

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Hubert Hohn, "Untitled (Edmonton Entrances)," 1974

Cibachrome print (Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, with support from the National Museums of Canada, the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and the Women's Society)

As an avid walker, I often meander through my inner city neighbourhood admiring what remains of the heritage architecture. The boom years around 1905, when Edmonton became the provincial capital and its population tripled, saw construction of large and elaborate homes. New international-style houses are now cropping up amidst these architectural jewels. Their clean lines and Lego-like structure also have appeal. But it’s the small stucco houses, built for soldiers returning from the Second World War, and the later suburban bungalows, that I studiously ignore.

These humble architectural styles caught the eye of photographer Hubert Hohn after he moved to Edmonton in 1967 from the United States. Hohn, who was born in Arizona and studied with Ansel Adams at Yosemite National Park in California, started work at Alberta Culture the very day he was supposed to report for military service in the Vietnam War.

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Hubert Hohn, "Untitled (Edmonton Entrances)," 1974

Cibachrome print (Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, with support from the National Museums of Canada, the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and the Women's Society)

In 1974, he took 200 or so Cibachrome photographs of entrances to Edmonton bungalows built in the 1940s and 1950s. He shot each house from the same distance, using the same lens, always under cloudy skies. Those images form the first half of his two-room solo exhibition, Edmonton Entrances and Suburban Landscapes, on view until Nov. 11 at the Art Gallery of Alberta.

Hohn’s seemingly dull and repetitive technique produced an unexpected effect. The doorways that local residents barely notice turn into veritable portraits: extracted from everyday settings, their individuality and subtle variations shine. Screen doors decorated with ducks, curlicues and other trimmings become visible as an intriguing form of Edmonton folk art.

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Hubert Hohn, "Untitled (Suburban Landscapes)," 1976

silver gelatin print (Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, with support from the National Museums of Canada)

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Hubert Hohn, "Untitled (Suburban Landscapes)," 1976

silver gelatin print (Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, with support from the National Museums of Canada)

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After the colourful whimsy of these images, the second half of the show is startling and bleak. The room is studded almost floor to ceiling with Hohn’s 1975 black-and-white silver gelatin prints of the city’s sprawling new suburbs. This series was shot at midday as the stark prairie light beat down on long stretches of empty sidewalks. Curtains are pulled to block the scorching summer heat and the shadows become dark pits. Hohn’s lens is the only evidence of a human presence. His hand-held camera creates an almost dreamlike sense of a lone photographer wandering deserted streets.

The contrasting moods of these two series demonstrate not only Hohn’s versatility, but also the era’s momentous social and cultural changes. As in other cities across North America, isolated houses surrounded by the tartan-like patterns of newly mowed lawns overtook the more closely knit and varied inner city homes. By juxtaposing these architectural trends, Hohn highlights our remarkable tendency to follow fashions that undergo rapid transformations. In the end, the question this show poses is captivating. What’s next? What kinds of communities will we build in the future? And what values will they represent? ■

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Hubert Hohn, "Untitled (Edmonton Entrances)," 1974

Cibachrome print (Art Gallery of Alberta Collection, with support from the National Museums of Canada, the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and the Women’s Society)

Edmonton Entrances and Suburban Landscapes is on view from April 28 to Nov. 11, 2018 at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton.