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New Industries consists of sixteen image panels and sixteen text panels. Each group of sixteen is arranged as a four-by-four grid, and the two grids are displayed in a corner of the exhibition space, image panels verso and text panels recto. The photographs—digitally printed from scanned, large-format transparencies—depict sites of industries created in the 1950s as part of the Newfoundland government’s attempts at economic diversification. Most of the industries went bankrupt soon after opening, and their sites now consist variously of new structures built on the foundations of the old, original structures used for new purposes, rubble-strewn lots, parking lots, and, in one instance, a baseball diamond. The texts are transcriptions of recordings made as former employees describe what they remember about working in the factories. Most employees were Newfoundlanders hired to work on the assembly lines or in middle management, and their testimonials recount various aspects of day-to-day operations, including their interactions with managers, most of whom were Europeans. More information about the project can be found in my essay Industry and Memory. |