Salt Spring photographer Greg Klassenpresents Distractions: A Photographic Exploration in the ArtSpring gallery. Here is what he says about the exhibit:

“A few years ago a CBC  radio interview discussed the concern expressed by several municipalities regarding roadside memorials. They have been identified as “distracting” to drivers, and targeted for removal. Yet, many individuals are adamantly opposed to any removal. One wonders why?

Exploring this question, I concentrate on exploring the ‘liminal’ status of such sites and their power to remind us of our mortality as well as their ‘shamanic’ value in connecting between this world and the ‘other’.  I present to you a portfolio of images designed to raise awareness of the (often subliminal) emotional  issues of roadside memorials in a society that increasingly seeks to marginalize death.“

*Please note an opening reception takes place Monday, August 4 at 5:00 p.m. and an artist talk takes place on Saturday, August 9 at 2:00 p.m.