Cherie Hanson

Construct/Destruct
multi-media on giclee stretched canvas; 21 x 28″

This image began as a photo of a parkade banister. I did this series of images all from the original photograph while I was in a heated battle with the city over their rapid development and construction, which was eroding my neighborhood, and driving long term residents away–destroying the social fibre that held us together. The series is an exploration of the steel ribs that are the skeleton of the towers fencing off the sky and views of the lake and mountains; they are like inanimate monsters marching through neighborhoods. The force and the greed that drives the construction of these “developments” is so energized that there is little forethought about the ultimate impact on the environment, both of the earth and the social environment.

One image “Construct/Destruct” shows the ribs of steel going sideways pushing through an aerial view of a neighborhood with images of farmland from goggle earth. We know what we are doing, yet we persist. Black, white, and gray are the predominant colors. Our planet floats in space and we are small and fragile. Two of these images draw attention to our connectedness with the universe and its laws.

© Cherie Hanson