Ursula Heller: Powerhouse

Curated by Deborah Loxam-Kohl

Comprised of 100+ black and white images, POWERHOUSE spans the inception of the Brilliant Expansion Project in 2003 to approximately mid-way, in 2005.  Ursula visited the site regularly, documenting the progress which is slated for completion in 2008. Decked out in a caution-orange safety vest, steel-toed boots and camera equipment, she became a recognizable figure to the workers on-site.  The images capture the faces and character of the people against the grand scale of the mountain, over-sized excavation equipment and the resulting concrete structure.  POWERHOUSE is part of a series dedicated to workers in the Kootenays, sponsored by Columbia Power Corporation and Columbia Basin Trust.  

Ursula Heller

Ursula Heller is a Swiss-born and Proctor-based photo-documentarian whose 50 plus-year career has included myriad projects. In the 70s she travelled across Canada photographing everyday life in small communities like Hafford, Sask., Feversham, Ont., Carcross, YT, and Vallican, BC, for a black and white photo book entitled Village Portraits.