GORDON BECK PHOTOGRAPHY
by Claudia Smith, OBP Secretary
Part 2 – continued from last week …
Gordon understood the future value of his photographs and his goal was to “document and photograph the devolution of the barns” of Leeds and Grenville. Even if he saw an interesting barn just across the county line, no photo was taken. Jon Radojkovic of the Ontario Barn Preservation group said, “Heritage barns are the only buildings left in the original condition from the time they were built, and should be admired, studied and preserved.” Gordon mused, “Month by month barns are disappearing as upkeep becomes uneconomical. Some are dismantled for recycling the timbers while others simply collapse under the effects of wind and rain and snow.”
He welcomed friends and barn enthusiasts on his country rambles and was open to their insights and suggestions as he moved along roads less travelled with his camera. Calling themselves “Wandering anthropologists” “Itinerant Historians” or “Barn-again Christians” they would set out and stop at the sight of a barn. Shouts of “Stop. Back up” or “Turn around and go left” echoed when an old structure was spotted down a lane or across a pasture. “We may be the only two old fools who are interested in these barns” Gordon said to one travelling companion, who then insisted, “No. There are lots.”
Please respect the fact that these photos are copyrighted and permission must be requested before any images are downloaded or used in any way. Copyright Ewa Bujinicka.
To be continued next week …
Claudia Smith met with Gordon Beck several times and they shared ideas about the significance of old barns, their awe at the strength of the old structures and the importance of photography in preserving their presence on the landscape, even as time and neglect defeated them and the barns themselves cannot be saved.
To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com