UB philosopher/photographer to discuss on his “Silo City” photo exhibition Sept. 8 in Toronto

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Thomas Bittner, PhD, associate professor of philosophy at the University at Buffalo, will present an artist’s talk on his photographic exhibition “Silo City – a portrait of constancy and change,” from 2:30-5 p.m. on Sept. 8 at the Hangman Art Gallery, 756 Queen Street East in Toronto.

The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.

The exhibition opened Aug. 27 and will run through Sept.15.  A reception in honor of Bittner and the exhibit, will be held the day of his talk.

Bittner says the photos, which are included in his exhibition catalogue, “Silo City – changes,” document his continuing exploration of a collection of about 10, mostly disused, grain silos along a one-mile stretch of the Buffalo River.

Over a one-year period from 2012 to 2013, Bittner visited this area many times and took thousands of photos, atmospheric, reflective, abstract, which he has included in two previous books, “Silo City” (2012) and ‘Winter in Silo City’ (2013), the latter of which presents panoramic photographs of the grain elevators (many during snow storms) and other aspects of the silos that have an eerie, abstract quality. An ebook version of the latter can be found at http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/384898-winter-in-silo-city

He says, “As I came back again and again, I discovered how things change over the course of days, months and seasons but nevertheless remain the same. It is this interplay of constancy and change that to me, reveals the essence of the place. It is this interplay I aimed to capture in the images selected for this exhibition.”

The exhibition includes paired photos of the same structures, to demonstrate, Bittner says, “how the dominant and stark character of the geometry of the American elevator amplifies subtle differences that arise due to weather and changes in the quality of light.” Other photos document changes in the buildings’ reflections in the river. Still others concentrate on the abundance of patters that emerge from the silos’ structural details.