Opened in 1891 by Thomas Edison, the Canadian General Electric Company Limited facility in Peterborough, Ont. is the oldest GE operation outside the U.S.
When five of its older surplus buildings were recently slated for demolition, the company made the unusual commitment to thoroughly photograph the architecture of each building as a historic record. That commitment has resulted in an art show at the Art Gallery of Peterborough.
Known as Project Caribou, the demolition project would help reduce energy costs required to light and heat the outmoded buildings. It would also help to streamline the workflow at the 10-acre plant. Workers had been transporting heavy engines slated for the gas, oil and mining industries from some of these remote buildings across the facility as they were readied for delivery.
"For years I thought these buildings would be great to photograph," says Wendy Van Monsjou, a systems analyst at GE Energy. "When I first heard they were taking down Building 7, a beautiful old building, with huge overhead cranes, I approached the new plant manager and was able to secure funding for a photography shoot."
GE selected local photographer Wayne Eardley, whom Van Monsjou had met through the local arts community.
"Peterborough is already something of a hotbed for historical photography," he says. "I give GE credit for recognizing the historical importance of the buildings and for having appreciated the quality of professional photography rather than have someone shoot it with a cellphone."
Eardley photographed the exteriors and interiors of the buildings to be demolished, lavishing attention on brick surfaces and leaded glass windows. He also extended the project to include buildings that were not being taken down.
"Once I began to shoot the architecture of the buildings, I mentioned to Wendy that we were missing the human element," he says. "I didn’t have to spend a lot of time convincing her. She worked with the HR department to allow me to photograph some of the people who worked in these buildings. The assignment combined all of the things I love to photograph, from architecture to portraiture."
Eardley photographed hundreds of employees, often involving generations of people who had worked at the plant since its inception.
"The plant has a deep historical significance for Peterborough," says Van Monsjou. "People talked about their uncles and grandfathers who had worked at the company. It’s a great human story. We even had a photo of a family of engineers — a father and two sons who all worked at GE."
Eardley captured the demolition phase of Project Caribou over a two-month period, arriving at regular intervals to document the work of crews supplied by JMX Contracting Inc.
"I shot still photographs, video and time-lapse photography," he says.
Eardley says he was particularly fascinated by some of the spaces inside the building, including a permanently locked room for which a key couldn’t be found.
Eardley tried to observe the interior through the keyhole but could see nothing. He says the collapse of that particular room into rubble represented a philosophical end to the project.
In all, Eardley returned to the plant dozens of times over the space of a year spanning 2014 to 2015, capturing the buildings, workers and the demolition operation at various times of day and in different seasons.
"We had approached the local SPARK Photo Festival, which this year is showcasing the history of industry in Peterborough about a public display of the images," says Van Monsjou "I was really excited that Wayne was going to get this show in a big festival. It was a real coup to also be featured at the art gallery."
The exhibit will be presented at the Art Gallery of Peterborough in two shows. Caribou I, featuring the human side of the GE complex, will run until May 22. Caribou II, concentrating on architecture, will run from June 4 to September 4.
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