Mythic sites, while they may seem to be mere shadows of their former importance, are still there for those wishing to perceive them, "I prefer it emptied out, because I want the viewer to hop in there, to see it." He was, however, confronted with the manner in which archaeological sites seemed to be discarded by the ongoing development of the urban fabric of these cities. His work with- in the realm of the imagination quickly switched to the realm of looking at present reality: the two poles of art-making in Chris’ perspective. But while the marble of Greek columns may fall to the ground in dereliction, these archaeological monu- ments endure the forces of time. The archaeological matter found in the totem poles and the long houses of the Northwest Coast did not, however, inhabit its original site with the permanence of stone. These wooden pillars would come to rot in a fraction of the duration of their marble counterparts, and be replaced, when appropriate, by the chiefs and elders of the band. New totem poles and crests are produced continu- ously with new heraldry and family stories to ensure their ongoing tradition, contrary to the building of ancient Greek temples which has become obsolete. On the topic of reality Chris tries to "look at reality with the point of view of the old sanctuaries in mind, first, but always the city creeps up on them, mediates them, and at some point subverts them." He assigns a large importance to the physical history of the land while using a recuperative strategy, as this history is often intertwined with its very mythic origins. But these mythic sites, while they may seem to be mere shadows . of their former importance, are still there for those wishing to read into them. This is very evident in Sites and Place Names: Vancouver/Saskatoon, where the text is assigned to the com- plex overlapping of land uses and human activities that contin- ue to occur in a place. Trying to coalesce present with past, without the historical denial of alternative viewpoints, Chris notes in his Sites exhibition catalog that "... the authority of naming city streets, civic sites and place names is thus a recent colonial activity, which usually excludes First Nations’ heritage and evidence of land ownership." The vast panoramic views of this series are manifestations of Chris relating: "| prefer it emp- tied out, because | want the viewer to hop in there, to see it." The exceptional sharpness and depth of field which a true panoramic camera (a design that involves a rotating lens to ~ expose a 180°+ angle of view) offers, along with its character- istic expansive foregrounds, translates for Chris the experience of looking through a "window at what seems to be reality." To back up my mention of Chris’ future work, he has taken on an exhibition tackling the changing landscape of Kelowna and @ x'ay’x i/xway'xway - Lumberman's Arch photograph with sandblasted glass 53 x 104cm, 1991 &. & ch’e chée Imun - Raymur St. photograph with sandblasted glass 53 x 104cm, 1992 the southern Okanagan, from an orchard paradise to a new sprawling urban and industrial conglomeration of develop- ment. This project will use his previous methodologies of snapshot aesthetics, field notes, landscape photography, and possibly portraiture of BC interior residents. The contra- diction between the old agri- cultural livelihoods and the vast changes in land use lead- ing to increased land specula- tion will be evident in this pro- ject. The situation is so con- tentious that some farmers are violently ripping out their orchards because of the loss of a self-sustaining way of life. To add controversy, the land that the Westbank Natives claim as theirs is managed by multina- tional forestry companies. These cataclysms are fuel for Chris to re-examine the vast economic and cultural changes that are now occurring in this part of the province. What | have gathered from my sessions and interactions with Chris is that he seems to thrive on the promise of change inherent to controversial situa- tions. His perspective on histo- ry and its relation to the pre- sent is not one of romanticism or nostalgia, but one which keeps a firm grasp on reality so as to effect change more read- ily. The change to which | am referring is that of our position in our universe: a change from an enclosed, reactive existence to one which accepts non- meshing ideologies and enables an active contribution to society. Mythic sites, while they may seem to be mere shadows of their former importance, are still there for those wishing to perceive them, "I prefer it emptied out, because I want the viewer to hop in there, to see it." He was, however, confronted with the manner in which archaeological sites seemed to be discarded by the ongoing development of the urban fabric of these cities. His work with- in the realm of the imagination quickly switched to the realm of looking at present reality: the two poles of art-making in Chris’ perspective. But while the marble of Greek columns may fall to the ground in dereliction, these archaeological monu- ments endure the forces of time. The archaeological matter found in the totem poles and the long houses of the Northwest Coast did not, however, inhabit its original site with the permanence of stone. These wooden pillars would come to rot in a fraction of the duration of their marble counterparts, and be replaced, when appropriate, by the chiefs and elders of the band. New totem poles and crests are produced continu- ously with new heraldry and family stories to ensure their ongoing tradition, contrary to the building of ancient Greek temples which has become obsolete. On the topic of reality Chris tries to “look at reality with the point of view of the old sanctuaries in mind, first, but always the city creeps up on them, mediates them, and at some point subverts them." He assigns a large importance to the physical history of the land while using a recuperative strategy, as this history is often intertwined with its very mythic origins. But these mythic sites, while they may seem to be mere shadows of their former importance, are still there for those wishing to read into them. This is very evident in Sites and Place Names: Vancouver/Saskatoon, where the text is assigned to the com- plex overlapping of land uses and human activities that contin- ue to occur in a place. Trying to coalesce present with past, without the historical denial of alternative viewpoints, Chris notes in his Sites exhibition catalog that "... the authority of naming city streets, civic sites and place names is thus a recent colonial activity, which usually excludes First Nations’ heritage and evidence of land ownership." The vast panoramic views of this series are manifestations of Chris relating: "| prefer it emp- tied out, because | want the viewer to hop in there, to see it." The exceptional sharpness and depth of field which a true panoramic camera (a design that involves a rotating lens to expose a 180°+ angle of view) offers, along with its character- istic expansive foregrounds, translates for Chris the experience of looking through a “window at what seems to be reality.” To back up my mention of Chris’ future work, he has taken on an exhibition tackling the changing landscape of Kelowna and —©2__ x’ay’x. i/xway'xway - Lumberman’s Arch photograph with sandblasted glass 53 x 104cm, 1991 . ch’e chée Imun - Raymur St. photograph with sandblasted glass 53 x 104cm, 1992 the southern Okanagan, from an orchard paradise to a new sprawling urban and industrial conglomeration of develop- ment. This project will use his previous methodologies of snapshot aesthetics, field notes, landscape photography, and possibly portraiture of BC interior residents. The contra- diction between the old agri- cultural livelihoods and the vast changes in land use lead- ing to increased land specula- tion will be evident in this pro- ject. The situation is so con- tentious that some farmers are violently ripping out their orchards because of the loss of a self-sustaining way of life. To add controversy, the land that the Westbank Natives claim as theirs is managed by multina- tional forestry companies. These cataclysms are fuel for Chris to re-examine the vast economic and cultural changes that are now occurring in this part of the province. What | have gathered from my sessions and interactions with Chris is that he seems to thrive on the promise of change inherent to controversial situa- tions. His perspective on histo- ty and its relation to the pre- sent is not one of romanticism or nostalgia, but one which keeps a firm grasp on reality so as to effect change more read- ily, The change to which | am referring is that of our position in our universe: a change from an enclosed, reactive existence to one which accepts non- meshing ideologies and enables an active contribution to society.