A motorized car sits in a parking lot beside an apartment building that is covered in a light dusting of fresh snow. On the hood of the car sits an unusually large chunk of snow and ice, with no visible foot prints or vehicle tire tracks around the car that can explain how the ice and snow were placed on the car.
“Died and Went to Devon,” is a photographic exploration of Devon, a neighbourhood on the Northside of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Fredericton is geographically separated by north and south as the Wolastoq / Saint John River runs through the city of 79,000 residents.
Devon is a working class neighbourhood on the city’s Northside and like many Canadian neighbourhoods, it is rapidly changing due to population growth and gentrification. Devon’s history, landscapes and grit yearns to be expanded on through visual storytelling.
Erb’s work focuses on visually examining the unique and absurd curiosities found in his surroundings, and emphasizing instances of unexpected beauty. The intention is to look closely at places as they are, and invite others to do the same — encouraging viewers to consider the inherent beauty in the mundane. Photographs are presented in ways that leave room for interpretation, allowing viewers room to find their own meaning instead of being prescriptive.
Explore the other stories–Mike Erb is a photographer and visual artist based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Erb has worked in various sectors of commercial, editorial and artistic photography. His current practice of cyanotype print-making and photography is reflective of his surroundings, exploring themes of place, identity, folklore, repetition and shape.
Erb holds a Foundation Visual Arts certificate from The New Brunswick College of Craft & Design with a focus on Photography and a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Thomas University with a major in Fine Arts and minor(s) in Journalism and Communications.
