A RIBBON OF HIGHWAY || A Photographic Exploration of Canadian Identity
A Ribbon of Highway took me on a journey through my country-Canada.
Having grown up in Vancouver, the various scenes, landscapes, and vignettes captured by Photographer Taylor Roades took me back to the flat lands of the prairies and the wintry scenes representative of the Canadian winter season.
This collection of images, taken over a decade in every corner of the country, explores and questions what being a Canadian means. The photographs depict Taylor’s poignantly observed, first-person experience visiting both recognizable and remote places that vary drastically in geography, history, socio-economic status, and overarching lifestyle.
Roades’ collection of photographs featuring over 30 locations and taken between 2010 and 2022 ‘is both a personal retrospective and an exploration of a Canadian identity.’ The photos take us along for the ride, with her travelling on a Greyhound bus across Canada and in her vehicle for many more miles to traverse the vast country from coast to coast.
GT snow racer at the bottom of the toboggan hill in Sunshine Valley, British Columbia, January 2016.
From the still-life photo of a set of elementary school doors in Vancouver to the idyllic twilight setting in Squamish, the snowplows navigating their way through the highways and city roads in Yukon to kayakers making their way through the rapids in Cowichan Valley, these are familiar places and memorable experiences imprinted in my memory as a fellow Canadian. Although I have yet to cover as much ground as Roades to see all Canada has to offer.
While most unfamiliar with Canada may think that the country is mostly a frozen winter wonderland, we also have our fair share of time on the beach and patios during the lovely spring and summer months. Roades captures this with photos of people watching fireworks on the water and people hanging out of their windows and balconies watching the pride parade in Toronto.
Juan De Fuca Marine Trail, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, March 2015.
Of course, the book also documents the breathtaking nature and wildlife Canada is renowned for. Adorable woodland creatures in their natural habitat, the majestic Niagara Falls, vast expanses of snow-topped mountains, and the trickling water of a creek nestled within a lush forest are all immortalized in this set of visuals. Just go for a hike in the forest brimming with nature activity, and you can experience these scenes firsthand.
A Ribbon of Highway is the perfect book for a glimpse into life in Canada or, for those who call Canada home, a reminder of the beauty of our homeland.
Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, May 2022.
Photos courtesy of Rocky Mountain Books. Photography by Taylor Roades.
