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Thaddeus Holownia
began recording the Irving Oil company's
stations following a move to Sackville, New Brunswick, from
Toronto in 1978. His photos have much to teach us about
how corporate capitalism can unexpectedly create a local
vernacular, modern architecture. |
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Whether inspired
by an ordinary farmhouse, a factory in Detroit, or a medieval castle,
the Irving stations were essential, distinct, and beloved places in
local townscapes. This network of small-town stations is now an endangered
species. The stations have been replaced by a network of "Big Stops,"
offering truck drivers home-cooked meals, convenience stores, TV lounges,
work stations, showers, and laundry, 24 hours a day. Holownia's powerful
images change our understanding of the vernacular architecture of Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. |
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His photos counteract
the widespread but false preservationist image of life in Canada's easternmost
provinces. The familiar banality of his gas stations, with their displays
of oil, rubber, and money, is light-years away from the touristic ideal
of hooked rugs and quaint fishing villages. The images without figures
possess a human presence through open doors and hoods, adjacent houses,
tracks in the snow, power lines and advertising. |
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