VNB Photo presents Isabelle Swiderski, Principal + Creative Director at Seven25. Design & Typography. Inc. & Michelle Soucker, Owner of Style Council
VNB Photo is excited to announce the official photography exhibition of the "VANCOUVER CREATIVES" portfolio this June in collaboration with MAKE and VANCOUVER IS AWESOME! Please join us for a special opening evening on Thursday, June 19th from 7:00 pm at MAKE Gallery to get an up-close view at this fine art celebratory work and enjoy a free and public talk and Q&A with the artists!
Launched last November, "Vancouver Creatives" is a collaborative Calotype photography project by VNB Photo aimed at showcasing some of the best creative talent present today in the city both historically and contemporarily. Midway between documentary and portraiture, the resulting 22 handprinted black-and-white photographs focus on many key industries making up the creative fabric of present-day Vancouver. All photographs are purely analog, a VNB Photo trait, being taken on special coated paper using a massive 1920s 8×10 camera system to deliver authentic and vibrant historical portraits of inspiring Vancouverites.
For over 6 months, VNB reached out industry per industry to dozens of outstanding individuals, businesses and organizations based in Vancouver and invited them to be portrayed in their own environment as creative figures of Vancouver. During two months last January and February, VNB also organized a public call asking Vancouverites to nominate their favorite talents and vote for them to win individual industry categories. As a result 10 of the portraits featured in the exhibition were directly chosen from the participating community.
The intent behind the work isn't to claim 'the' very best creative Vancouverites but rather to offer an open discourse on 'who does what' remarkably in the most diverse yet inclusive fashion possible. In the end the vision presented isn't absolute or conclusive: it brings together both the promise and legacy of Vancouver's creative culture.
