Seniors who produce food in the Cowichan Valley may soon find themselves sitting for a photograph for the new Of Land and Sea: Portraits of Coastal Food Producers project.
The project is being done by the Island Farmers’ Alliance with Victoria-based tintypist and photographic artist Ken Miner, funded by Service Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.
The IFA is asking senior and elder food producers who are interested in sitting for a photo and sharing a story about their experiences with food to contact them.
The photos won’t be a point-and-click affair. Miner uses his 112-year-old camera and an antique photographic process known as wet plate collodin to produce the images. It’s a style of photography that dates back to the 19th Century, capturing black and white photos on glass.
The photos and stories collected will be compiled into a coffee table book that people can buy in the spring of 2016.
“While the IFA has traditionally focused on Island agriculture,” said IFA Board President Jenny Horn, “the project will include a diversity of food producers and production systems. From agricultural to indigenous food systems, the IFA hopes that this project will profile the diversity of foods produced on Vancouver Island and recognize the histories behind the foods that are currently, or were historically, produced, harvested, and shared.”
Everyone who agrees to take part will get a limited edition signed print of their portrait.
If you are interested, or if you know of someone who would make a good subject, contact project coordinator Vanessa Goodall at vanessa@cowichangreencommunity.org
For more information contact info@islandfarmersalliance.org or go to www.islandfarmersalliance.org