As a Torontonian, the idiocy over the Park Lawn speed camera makes no sense, especially in a city with notorious congestion - it would only smooth the flow of traffic! But then we’ve always been a city of detrimental behaviour.

As a resident of Helsinki, there are speed cameras everywhere - the positive being that there’s hardly any traffic jams because everyone drives the speed limit, thus no braking, speeders, or other (generally) traffic disrupters.

As the head of a graduate photography program in Europe, this is exactly parallel my experience: students desire to engage with “reality” and our physical places through this specific medium. After a few years of decline… the opposite!

Every parcel, exempt or not, was photographed: churches, parking lots, bodegas, government buildings. A totalizing view shaped by bureaucratic vision, rendering the city as taxable surface.

Explore this extraordinary archive at 1940s.nyc

I’m curious to see how these ramblings (literally, figuratively) play out, and to practice writing as a performative act that makes the world. Come along!

I’ll try and post daily or every two days. If you’re interested in following along, then send me your email!

The idea is to delete all the subscribers after this two week period. It’s an ephemeral, immediate response to the starting of a photographic project…

For the next two weeks I’m going to make a disposable, “pop-up” newsletter with photos, some words, and other unformed thoughts…

The commission will result in a public art installation and collective ‘action’ with local amateur photographers throughout 2025 and into 2026…

We’ll be here for the next two weeks getting started on a research trip. Walking, surveying, experimenting, mucking about…

Ukrainians don’t mess about.

Yes, photographed them in February 2014 at the Hrushevskoho barricade.