Have a memory of Kitchener's Victoria Park? This documentary photographer wants to hear it

Kitchener's Victoria Park opened in 1896 and is known by many for its bridges, swans, pavilion and picturesque green spaces.

But it's also been home to the Land Back Camp, a place where people have gathered to grieve and remember the children whose remains were found at former residential schools and it has seen protests including red paint being thrown on the statue of Queen Victoria.

The park holds many stories and documentary photographer Colin Boyd Shafer wants to hear about them for a new project he's working on.

He joined CBC K-W's The Morning Edition to talk to host Craig Norris about the project and why he's asking the community for help.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Craig Norris: Give us an idea of what you're looking for from people. 

Colin Boyd Shafer: Well, the pandemic, for me personally, I live in an apartment without a balcony. It's right near Victoria Park, so it gave me a lot of time to walk through Victoria Park as I tried to still remain a part of society as I was looking after a new baby. 

And it got me thinking about how important these green spaces are to all societies and in particular, Victoria Park to Kitchener. 

So this project, which has received a Region of Waterloo Arts Fund grant, is focused on the park's history as well as how people use it today.

So, I'm trying to find archival photos and archival items, I guess you could say, as well as connecting with all different members of our greater community who have a special connection or a memory or story to the park and to create this project that combines the old and new and, you know, can really be a piece that maybe in 100 years people can look back on and remember what it was like today, but also see what it was like 100 years ago, because the information that I've been uncovering has completely blown my mind. 

The park today is so different than it was before. 

CN: Now, you have started an Instagram account for this. One of the first photos is of you and your mom taken in 1986 at the park. Tell us a bit about that. What do you remember from that day? 

CBS: Well, to be honest, Craig, I have a horrible memory, but I think that's part of the beauty of photography, right? It reminds us of things that we did. 

When I see that photograph, it's funny because now I have a daughter who's almost the same age that I was in that picture and we do the same types of things. And in fact, the hill that I'm on with my mother is the same little tobogganing hill that you'll find there today. 

Now, if you were to dip into someone else's photograph from, say, 30 years earlier and then you were to look in the other direction, you might find a gigantic baseball stadium there full of fans watching the Kitchener Panthers.

And so I guess it's trying to retrace a park's history through the visuals that we've captured and luckily, I don't know who took the picture of my mother and I, but it's a part of my own story, too.

So I want to hear other people's memories, or memories that have been created from the visuals they've captured and we can collectively tell a story of the park. 

CN: What do you hope to do with the photos and the stories that you gather? 

CBS: The dream is to exhibit them in the park. Maybe something that is like a legacy project that can stay there so that — imagine you're walking through the park by that empty field that is now there today. And instead of wondering, or not knowing at all that there was this gigantic stadium there until 1966, you see a portrait of a gentleman maybe wearing the shirt that he wore when he competed for that baseball team. And he's standing there now today, he would probably be in his 80s and there's a portrait of him. 

And then on the side, there's also a photograph of a packed stadium that was taken half a century ago. And there's a story there to accompany it that tells a bit about what was here before.

And all around the park, imagine having these types of little displays. Maybe they rotate, but it keeps people knowing the important history that they're a part of and that they're creating.

So I hope that they can be displayed for the public. I hope it can be a project that makes us think about this important green space that we share. And you know, I'm excited to see what stories come out of it. 

CN: What do you hope this project will mean to the people who take part in it? 

CBS: I guess, like anything, it's great to stop and think about what gives you meaning and purpose and it's very easy for all of us to take for granted some of these public spaces that are available. Not all cities have a park like Victoria Park. 

I hope that it can kind of be a moment for us to think about where we spend our time and where we have available to spend our time together.

And hopefully the park is and will continue to be a welcoming place. I mean, it's had its history of not being always the safest for certain community members or being a place where maybe a protest might take place or where we gather to share grief. 

And these are all important memories as well. I don't want to create a project that is only looking at the flowers in the park, right? Although I would love to connect with a gardener who was working there 50 years ago. But I hope that it has that spectrum of the human experience in it when it's complete. 

CN: Even the name of the park now is fraught with controversy for some people as well. It'll be interesting to see where this goes. I would like to send people to help you. How can they do that? Where can people go if they want to get involved? 

CBS: This is still the beginnings. I'm easy to track down, but there is an Instagram [account] and you can find a form there if somebody wants to fill out the form and share a little bit about their memory or their story.

You could also reach out to me. My website is colinboydshafer.com. And I am going to be in the park. So if you see me, you can just tap me on the shoulder. 

But I'm really hopeful and thank you for this experience to share that this project is happening because I really would like everyone ... to realize that this is an opportunity to share their memories because I can't even imagine how some people connect with the park, but I'm excited to see how they do.

Colin Boyd Shafer has created a Google Form for people who want to share a memory with him. People can click this link to access that form.

Listen | Colin Boyd Shafer explains his new project focused on Kitchener's Victoria Park.