'Dear Sudbury' photos tap personal history, nostalgia at Up Fest
Seamless past and present photo scenes bring blog phenom 'Dear Photograph' to Sudbury
A popular online photo project that blurs the boundaries of time, space and memory will offer a new lens on Sudbury at Up Fest this weekend.
"Dear Photograph" asks people to take a photo of an old picture in the exact same spot, matching up the angles and the edges, leaving a seamless continuation of past and present. Contributors are also asked to share a story or impression about the experience of revisiting the scene.
Project founder Taylor Jones, who's collected hundreds of submissions on his popular online blog, said longing and wistfulness drive the impulse to create a "Dear Photograph."
"People love reliving moments in their lives," he said. "Having something like a tangible photo is is something that people kind of yearn for."
"Dear Sudbury," a spin-off of Jones' larger project, is part of the Up Fest line-up this weekend. Submissions were sent in by people in Sudbury, and will be on display at the Grand Theatre on Elgin Street in the main foyer.
Jones said he came to Sudbury as a kid, and has pictures of himself and his family playing hockey on a lake. When he visits this weekend, he hopes to give a picture from that time the treatment.
"It'll be cool because there's no ice, so the photo has us skating on it, so it'll be cool to do a 'Dear Photograph' between different seasons!"
Listen to the conversation between the CBC's Megan Thomas and Taylor Jones here.
Interested in the project? Here are a few more "Dear Photograph" submissions from Instagram.