The New Gardeners

Baseball Boy

Flower Lady

Washer Woman

Lawnmower Man
Lawnmower Man ii

Trucker Guys

Man on Bridge (Deck)

Farewell Free Grazing
The New Gardeners is a series of aerial photographs that I took while on an artist residency in Newfoundland. The perspective used in this work is commonly referred to as the birds-eye view, the god-view or the Google-view and it is used to place the viewer into the position of an imaginary observer. Both micro and macroscopic viewpoints can be seen and the individual is no longer identified as him or her self; rather they become part of a collective group. People and objects take on miniature proportions and perspective reveals structures, markings and patterns made by man within the landscape. Traces of mans actions are evidenced and the images reveal social norms that are followed by the individuals of the town. The series is titled The New Gardeners which is a reference to the town of Tilting before the abolition of free grazing in the 90s when the practice of recreational gardening did not exist. However since the abolition of free grazing, recreational gardening has become part of everyday life in Tilting. Nearly every house has a manicured garden with flowerbeds and shrubs since residents are expected to maintain their gardens. The pictures evidence both the manicured gardens and the practice of gardening itself. In revealing these structures and social patterns, the work questions the status-quo notions of choice and control.