Tim Van Horn has photographed some of this nation’s celebrities and many of its homeless.
He has snapped the bundled and shivering in the midst of an Iqaluit winter and the naked and festive at the Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo, B.C.
And now, he is back home in Red Deer to put the lens on this city’s citizens in honour of its centennial.
For the last four and a half years, Van Horn has been travelling across the country asking strangers to pose for portraits right on the sidewalk, in the park, or wherever else he happens to be.
Though about 30 per cent of those he asks aren’t keen on the idea, more than 22,000 Canadians have stood for a photo in front of a red or white background.
That Canadian Mosaic project, to photograph 36,000 Canadians and use the portraits to make a giant Canada flag mosaic in time for the country’s 150th birthday in 2017, is ongoing.
He came back home to Red Deer a few weeks ago, though, to commemorate an anniversary happening right now — the city’s centennial.
His goal is to photograph 2,013 Red Deerians and put those pictures together to create a red and white mosaic similar to the Canadian flag, but with a, you guessed it, red deer replacing the red maple leaf. So far, Van Horn has shot over 900 locals.
The creation will stretch 2.5-by-six metres and be installed at Van Horn’s Parkvale property in place of the weathered flag mosaic currently on display.
“It has sort of become a bit of a landmark in town, with people bringing out of town guests by the Canadian Mosaic, so to keep it fresh and kind of tie in the community, I figured it’d be good to do one on Red Deer,” he said.
Van Horn looked into getting funding for the centennial project from the city, but had missed the application deadline. Thus, he is doing the project on his own and is hoping Red Deerians will show their support by sponsoring his work or purchasing a poster of the finished product.
He will be heading out on the road again shortly after the mosaic is unveiled on June 15, on his way east where he will start his journey back to the west coast, photographing faces all the while, to hunker down for the winter. But Van Horn, 44, is glad to be home.
“I’m really pleasantly surprised at the cultural richness within Red Deer. It’s good to see that,” he said.
When the skies are clear, Van Horn can usually be found with his camera near City Hall in the afternoon, and will be at the Downtown Market tonight and the Red Deer Public Market on Saturday. He is hoping for a huge turnout on the weekend to help him reach his goal.
“This is about the people, for the people, and powered by the people,” he said.
The mural unveiling will take at 4617 46th Ave., at noon on June 15.
For more information and a visual of the local project, visit www.iamreddeer.ca.
To learn more about the Canadian Mosaic project and Van Horn’s other work, visit www.canadianmosaic.ca.
mfish@www.reddeeradvocate.com