Visions of Herongate: A Conversation with Photographer Daniel Effah
Credit: Daniel Effah
In the right hands, a camera captures emotive scenes and moving portraits of its chosen subjects. If cameras had emotional agency and critical thinking, Daniel Effah’s camera would likely be a happy one, proud of its owner’s evocative portraits and vision. Daniel is a calm, easygoing guy; enjoyable conversations and musings about art are guaranteed with him. I first met him at Carleton University during a lecture class on photography and performance that occurred every Thursday night in a chilly basement classroom. Fast forward a year later, external circumstances bring us together to work on a community arts project called Create: Herongate, a partnership between the Ottawa Art Gallery and the Herongate Tenant Coalition.
Create: Herongate is a call to the youth living in Herongate, a multi-racial, working-class neighbourhood in Ottawa affected by mass evictions over the last few years. The main goal of this initiative is to create a bottom-up, community-oriented vision of Herongate, as imagined by its existing residents, through the medium of photography.
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“Daniel Effah is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.”
On that note, here is our interview that took place within the liminal space of a screen.
Credit: Daniel Effah
You’re an active member of the Ottawa arts community. How did your collaboration with the Ottawa Art Gallery and the Herongate Tenant Coalition come about?
It’s kind of a complicated story. A lot of incredible opportunities came about and merged together. With the Ottawa Art Gallery, the opportunity came organically. Some people working there saw my work and recommended me to the education department, where I became an Art Educator, and it slowly snowballed into a work relationship for a community arts project. With the Herongate Tenant Coalition, I was initially commissioned by them for a sustainability project during Ottawa architecture week, and then they commissioned me to do a photography series relating to tenants that had been evicted, which I called Dispossession. Ultimately, all these events merged together to form the Create: Herongate initiative with both organizations.
Why were you interested in the Create: Herongate initiative, and what can we expect from this future collaboration?
In being a part of it, I am able to shed light on what was – and still is – happening in a neighbourhood of our city. Partaking in this initiative is the best way I can contribute my skill set to the community. I like projects with concrete results. Dispossession and Create: Herongate both aim to create something that would be helpful for the community. They are projects with concrete results and positive social outcomes, and [talking about Create: Herongate] I look forward to mentoring young photographers.
When did photography become a medium you wanted to explore more deeply?
The first medium I explored as an artist was actually painting at around the age of 17. When I started school at a postsecondary level, I was exposed to other ways of creating and I discovered that photography was a better outlet for me. It came more naturally and my ideas translated better with the camera than with the paintbrush. There’s also more flexibility in the post-production process. Editing a digital image can be easier and more forgiving than editing a painted one!
Credit: Daniel Effah
Most of your photographic work deals with portraiture. Can you tell me a little bit more about that?
I’m a photographer that enjoys being behind the camera more so than being in front of it. I also like people a lot. Portraiture for me is about telling individual stories and tackling social topics about people, through people. In a way, the models I photograph are like canvases. They are essential in helping shape the narratives of my photos and helping voice what I want to say.
What was your experience photographing those that were affected by the mass neighbourhood evictions in Herongate for the Dispossession series?
It was difficult. Not as difficult as the people experiencing it of course, but as a photographer, I was not used to that form of photojournalism. Most of the other projects I’ve done have not been as personal or emotional as this series. It was tough because of the helplessness that came out of it. I wanted to do more, I wanted to help, but it is not always possible to achieve the results you want even when you do all that you can. I had the pleasure of getting to know the people I photographed, and that was my best takeaway from the series.
Credit: Daniel Effah
Can you tell me more about Herongate as a neighbourhood and community?
I might not be the best person to ask. Although I have lived near the Herongate community, I have not been directly affected by the evictions, so I’m a little like an outsider looking in. I would say that to see them rally together speaks to how they are a strong, close-knit community. It was a shock for [the evictions] to be happening repeatedly to them, and the injustice of the situation helped them rally together against the building developers (Timbercreek/Hazelview). They did their best to fight for the places and spaces they identified as home. Most people have had to move out unfortunately, but there are still a few that are trying.
What can we expect from you in the future?
At the moment, I’ve taken a creative break from my photography practice for the school semester. I’m currently working towards my Masters of Architecture and I’m in my second year. More and more, I’m trying to find connections between my architectural and photographic interests, and I’ve been thinking of how concepts of space can be more incorporated into my photography.
Do I hear a PhD thesis idea in the works?
Haha, school is already so overwhelming, I can’t even imagine doing a PhD right now! You never know though!
Any words of wisdom for emerging artists in the Ottawa-Gatineau region looking to expand their practice or engage communities like yourself?
The best advice I can give is “whatever it is, go for it.” When I look back at how I first got into photography, I had a long period of self-doubt where I wondered if I was good enough. I’ve learned that everything is a learning process, so just go for it and see what you come up with. It’s not always about the outcome, it’s about expressing yourself. In terms of engaging with communities, I would remember to be mindful and respectful of the space you’re invited into. Be open to learning from the people you work with and changing the direction of the project with their input.
Credit: Daniel Effah
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“This meeting has been ended by the host.”
The interview segment of my conversation with Daniel ended after my prepared questions and our discussion carried on to other topics. I recall discussing various musical soundtracks with him, with notable mentions to Hamilton and Notre-Dame-de-Paris. It was an entertaining discussion.
If you are a youth living in Herongate and you are interested in the Create: Herongate project, please send an email to community@oaggao.ca or herongatetc@gmail.com. If you are stirred by the stories of eviction occurring in this neighbourhood and wish to help in any way, please spread the word. The main objective of this endeavour is to foster a community arts project in which the neighbourhood's residents play an active role in its imagining. With Daniel Effah as its creative mentor, this initiative will aim to capture the rapidly changing landscapes and faces of Herongate, a neighborhood pushed to change against the will of its own tenants.