Robert Bourdeau became known in the 1970s for his photographic landscapes. Printed directly onto contact sheets from large-format negatives, the photographs were characterized by an overall clarity that subverted the traditional compositional focal point. Rather than seeking out spectacular landscapes to photograph, Bourdeau aims to reveal the remarkable aspects of the everyday. In both extreme close-up and panoramic views, he has used his camera to change our way of looking at the landscape.

In the 1980s, Bourdeau moved from an almost exclusive investigation of nature to photographing the urban wastelands of abandoned industrial sites. Ontario, Canada: Kingston is an early example of these works. It shows an industrial wall, crisply focused and flooded with light. The work demonstrates Bourdeau’s understanding of how the camera can take in more information than the human eye.