Future Neighbourhood Park. From the series Home Invasion , 1998/99
Home Invasion Susan Dobson
I was driving past a new neighbourhood under construction when I noticed a fox picking its way through discarded building debris. Our eyes locked for several seconds before the fox turned away. As I watched it disappear down the road, I felt surprised by how well the fox appeared to have adapted to its new habitat. t he ongoing body of work titled Home Invasion is a series of photo- graphs that documents the flattening of land and the construction of assembly line houses in southern Ontario. As the houses appear in the landscape, they are large, hollow, inert structures, devoid of spirit, stamped from identical molds with only minor ornamental variations. Each community is surrounded by a standard issue fence, for protection against physical or spiritual invasions. Issue of identity and individuality are recurring leitmotifs in my art practice. In Home Invasion , the subdivision vernacular and its social implications is explored photographically. There is no depiction of a violent act as the title may suggest. Rather, the title refers to the subliminal violence inherent in the societal quest for, and concurrent struggle against, sameness and assimilation.
Susan Dobson’s photographic work has been exhibited in galleries across Canada and in the United States, and published extensively in newspapers and periodicals. She has received numerous awards for her images of urban and natural landscapes. Dobson is currently represented by Tatar/Alexander gallery in Toronto. Dobson is an assistant professor in the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph and serves on the Board of Directors at Visual Arts Ontario. Her work can be viewed at www.susandobson.com, or at www.tataralexander.com.
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