Irving: Architectural Landscapes explore the changing economics in the commerce of selling automotive service. Rural and urban stations which existed as cornerstones in community architecture have all but disappeared and been replaced by more strategically located self-serve gas bars, complete with convenience stores and fast food restaurants. No more service bays and mechanics on duty.
The series was 50 toned silver gelatin contact prints from 7 × 17″ silver negatives.
While recalling this aesthetic of ruin and of decay, the Station series moves beyond a polarization of tradition and modernity, or a nostalgic sense of decline. Holownia’s focus on time and change offers a direct engagement with modernization, the exploration of modernity as a meaningful social practice.
Collection of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery.