Hcma?s inaugural 2021 Artist in Residence features the work of David Ellingsen, a Canadian photographer who ?creates images that speak to the relationship between humans and the natural world.?

According to hcma, Ellingsen focuses on themes of climate, deforestation, and biodiversity loss while drawing upon relationships to place.

Photo courtesy of hcma.ca
?Our Artist in Residence (AIR) program is one of our experimental forays that arranges a new dialogue between disciplines: what happens when artists expose us to different forms of creativity, while exposed to our world of architecture and design"? says hcma. ?In the best instances, the project grows in previously unforeseen ways and we all come to see things a little differently than we would otherwise.? Ellingsen?s residency was completed in Victoria, B.C, where he currently resides. For 10 weeks, each selected artist will focus on their practice, collaborate with staff, and share their process, techniques, and perspectives.
Following the theme of ?Empty City?, Ellingsen?s work turned toward the species in urban spaces. Photographs were made recording digital projections of endangered animals and plants, within their native habitats, to address the extinction crisis in the Capital Regional District of Victoria. The species selected include the killer whale, the Barn Owl, the Propertius Duskywing moth, and a small plant called Footsteps of Spring.
Photo courtesy of hcma.ca
?During the research stage, it became...