“Evidence of Habitation” explores informal housing and homelessness in Edmonton. The project reveals the signs of individuals as they seek refuge in the interstitial spaces of the city. The photos document the physical and symbolic processes of place-making in wooded areas, ravines, alleyways and under bridges across the four seasons.
The images challenge the “otherness” that often accompanies the discourse on homelessness, while also raising questions such as: What is a home? Who is a neighbour? Who has the rightful access to the resources and bounty of the city? What responsibilities do we have to our fellow citizens?
Pieter de Vos is an Edmonton-based documentary photographer.
