The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is inviting visitors to the city’s downtown to discover the history around them through a new permanent interactive photo installation.
History InSite is a site-specific installation which juxtaposes historical photographs from the Museum’s collection with modern streetscapes by presenting the photos in, or close to, the areas which they were taken. Participants can place themselves in the location of a photo and look back in time at a scene from the history of St. Catharines. Each sign also provides history and context, and directs visitors to a weblink where they can explore that history in more depth.
“St. Catharines has a rich photographic history,” says St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre visitors services coordinator Adrian Petry. “When compared to the changing streetscapes around the City, that history becomes much more meaningful, poignant and relevant to our modern eyes.”
The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre previously offered temporary installations of History InSite at the In the Soil Festival. Now it is a permanent feature for visitors to downtown St. Catharines to enjoy at any time.
Not only does this installation allow visitors to explore the evolution of the city through time, it also provides opportunity for a fun, active, outdoor experience, as they stroll through the downtown core and discover the historic photographs, which are installed on street poles.
More information about History InSite can be found at www.stcatharines.ca/MuseumExhibits.