A Passionate Earthling's View of Home

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Originally uploaded by 416style.

Former astronaut Roberta Bondar calls herself a passionate earthling, something you might expect from a woman who has seen the world from space. Some of us talk about how traveling to a unique place in the world can or has changed our outlook on the world, so you can only imagine how it's changed for Roberta Bondar.

I met her once, when I was sitting in the basement of the University of Western's Kinesiology building helping conduct a student election. It was just she and I in the desolate space. Looking up at her in awe as she came down the narrow hall, she smiled at me and said "What a stark existence it is in here". She seemed to sum up so much in those words. Secretly always wishing to be an astronaut myself, I took them with the profundity they offered.

Seems Bondar has a fascination with places stark in existence, she's been photographing barren Canadian landscapes recently. She's exhibited them at the ROM and now coinciding with the Contact photography festival, has some of her extreme landscapes on display (until June 30th) at the First Canadian Place gallery in Toronto, open 11am - 2pm.

Picture at right is mine. I'd say it's not quite her style. Not so much barren, either. The little tree sprouting up in front of a blue sky seems more hopeful than any of her works, sadly Bondar’s press releases don’t offer up any enticing landscape shots for photo enthusiasts. You’ll just have to trust me that she’s got an eye for this sort of thing.