An Edmonton photographer is the first-ever artist-in-residence in a most unlikely place – cemeteries throughout the city.
Candace Makowichuk, 52, was picked out of nearly 100 applicants for the six-month position, which will be based at Mount Pleasant Cemetery but will take her to cemeteries across the city.
The interest in cemeteries started at a young age for the photographer.
“I’ve always had a fascination with cemeteries. I can remember being a young girl and hopping on my bike, and with a friend, we would go to the local cemetery,” she said.
“When you’re young, you want to tell spooky stories and try and scare each other. But I always liked looking at the headstones and thinking about what was behind those people’s lives. Behind every marker, gravestone and memorial type thing, there was a person behind it who had a life, who had a story. It’s really the stories that interest me.”
READ MORE: City of Edmonton Cemeteries seeking artist-in-residence
Makowichuk, who started the position at the beginning of the month, said she plans to exhibit photographs of cemetery parkland, grave markers for children who died in the early 1900s as well as flourishes on tombstones, such as flowers and doves.
“Each one of those symbols actually have different meanings behind them,” she said.
Makowichuk said people have talked to her about how “weird” it may be to work and photograph cemeteries, but she disagrees.
The photographer, who will use both analog and digital cameras, admits she has a daunting task ahead of her to make graveyards appealing to the average Edmontonian, but it seems she is ready for the challenge.
“Graveyards, in a way, they are a celebration of our life. It concludes our mortal existence. It’s something we all share. It doesn’t matter what kind of background we have, where we come from, we all share [the journey] from birth to death.”