Calgary Overlooked—Nic Dystra

The scenes I’m drawn to capture are those that elicit an uncanny honesty about urbanism, space, surface, and light. These scenes can either be discovered by stumbling upon small and ephemeral conditions between architectural intentions and light, or can be the witnessing of the rather stark and isolating instances that are common in Calgary’s urban environment. The beauty, in both cases, is obscured behind the veil of the typical or generic.

The subject is the background of our collective gaze, and the intent is not to create a beautiful image. Rather, it is to expose the inherent beauty that resides within the mundane, forgotten, or, even at times, deeply problematic spaces that we inhabit.

There is a double narrative in many of these images, which is where the uncanny resides: a beautiful moment caught in architecture’s interaction with a condition, while also an unapologetic reveal of an unbalanced urban condition.

 All Images: Courtesy of the artist.

Nicholas Dykstra works for a municipally owned development corporation in Calgary, Alberta, where he contributes to projects ranging from public realm improvements to analyzing the redevelopment opportunities on large urban brownfield sites. Dykstra’s interests lie in critically recognizing, appreciating and manipulating the diverse ecologies that co-exist within cities.