NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Archivist Philip Pype works on an iPad Friday that is part of the ongoing Snapshot exhibit at the Esplanade.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
The Esplanade is heading into the New Year with yet another new exhibit for Hatters to feast their eyes on.
Just a few days before Christmas, the Esplanade opened up ‘Snapshot’ – an exhibit telling the story of the history of photography.
“The idea came from the fact that popular photography and Medicine Hat have been around for about the same amount of time,” said archivist Philip Pype, who took on a curator role for the exhibit. “Photography started to come around in the 1850s and Medicine Hat was settled in 1883.
“Here at the Esplanade we have our archives, which are a great resource.
“We have pictures of way back, when our city was first being established. Within our museum we have a great collection of cameras.”
Pype says there is a lot to learn about for anyone who passes through.
“We want to exhibit all of these things beside each other to show how technology evolved over time and how Medicine Hat evolved over time,” he said. “The majority of the pieces of this exhibit came from the Esplanade, but a few select pieces came from members of the community.”
Pype says the exhibit mixes a few different mediums to help people learn as they make their way through it.
“We’ve worked a number of interactive elements into the exhibit,” he said. “It’s nice to walk through and look, but people can also take advantage of the moving parts we have available to them.”
Pype says he excited how people react to the gallery.
“Just having people come in and walk around it will be fun for me,” he said. “I want to see people experiencing various aspects of the exhibit.
“This is a topic that has fascinated me for years while working in the archives, coming across different photographs and learning about the technology.
“This is a great opportunity to share some of the things I find interesting with the community.”
The exhibit is in the pay what you will format, meaning it is free to get in and then people can pay what they see fit after making their way through it.
More information can be found online at http://www.esplanade.ca
