In the current exhibition at the Corridor Gallery, artist Jesse Webber shows his unsettling photographs of mannequins and storefront displays. While they provided good practice with his new camera, taking these photographs in stores gave the artist new insight on composition and what it’s like to be asked to leave. No Photography! is in the Corridor Gallery August 2 – 29.

Of the work, Webber states:

This exhibit first began after finding a camera sitting in a box on the side of the road four years ago. A 1970 Mamiya/Sekor mechanical 35mm camera. I began to practice photographing mannequins. Set out on display in stores, they seldom fidgeted, and were available in a wide variety of clothing and poses. I learned much about composition… and how to vacate the store, the sidewalk, the mall, or the premises by employees or security.

Perhaps it was the loud *snap* of the cameras metal shutter, or the *zzzzt* sound every time I advanced the film. Observing these displays with a camera made everyone very self aware, myself included. It went against company policies and values. A certain kind of privacy was being taken away. But what does privacy mean in these commercial places during the age of social media? And what does a camera do differently to infringe upon it than a phone?

Jesse Thomas Webber was born in Dartmouth, NS. He spent two years studying design and print at NSCC before leaving to travel around Canada. Though much of his artistic work was based around music and design, he took an interest in film photography after finding a discarded 35mm camera body in late 2013. He has dedicated himself to learning traditional photographic and printing methods.  He has worked at a plastics factory for the past 4 years and recently co-founded the company Trade School Design Dartmouth.

Located inside the Visual Arts Nova Scotia office at the Halifax Seaport since 2000, the Corridor Gallery is complimented by a historical legacy of Nova Scotia culture, simple yet modern architectural elements and an array of current cultural activity in the Cultural Federations of Nova Scotia office. The Corridor Gallery is located at 1113 Marginal Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia and is open Monday through Friday, 9:30am – 5pm.

Visual Arts Nova Scotia advances the visual arts through leadership, education, and communication.

To see more of Jesse’s photography follow him on Instagram: @high.grain
High resolution image for press available via Dropbox.

For further information regarding the exhibition please contact:
Carri MacKay
Programming Coordinator
902.423.4694 | 1.866.225.8267 | f: 902.422.0881
vans@visualarts.ns.ca | www.visualarts.ns.ca