Kevin Boyle

Photography

Canadian, b.

Kevin Boyle is a Vancouver-based photographer who was born and raised in the Canadian Prairies. He spends his time roaming the vastness of the plains of his homeland, documenting the dilapidated ruins of what were once thriving communities. His subjects—abandoned businesses and gathering places—are carefully captured under the cover of night, and given a second chance to shine. The resulting large format photographs earnestly pay homage to a time that technology and the busyness of life have let pass by.

We are changing the planet. We are entering a new geological epoch, and this time it isn’t caused by a meteorite, volcanic eruption, or an ice age… humans are the catalyst.The effects of our actions are not being recognized properly, and with every passing day the world changes; the Earth warms and the ice melts.The first time I saw an ice field from 14,000 feet above, it took my breath away. Not because I should have probably had oxygen at that elevation, but because I had no idea of the beauty that was in my own backyard.“Elemental” is my interpretation of ice. Without scale or reference points, and shooting from an aerial platform, the focus is on textural complexity and colour. To me, this highlights the profound beauty and abstraction of nature; a natural wonder quickly and silently deteriorating all around us.Our conveniences, which we seem to value above all else, are the problem. The choices we make directly influence the world in which we live, from our cars, to our clothing, to our disposable phones. We care more about our social media following than the landscapes providing the background to our selfies.

The time has come for each of us to weigh our own actions against how they impact our world. It’s this relationship between macro and micro which “Elemental” seeks to highlight. If we don’t take a new perspective on our individual footprints, there will be no earth left upon which to make them.