The Valley Brickworks

Robert Burley's work concentrates on the relation between nature and the city, architecture and the urban landscape. In many of his projects, he mingles art and document; a certain location or area is developed into an extended photographic portfolio, the historic and cultural information embedded in landscape presented through a well-considered aesthetic approach. For example, his "Don Valley" (1981-84) series, a sample of which is seen here, concentrates on the interrelation of the natural areas nested in the Don Valley, Toronto, and the elements that make up its use as a major transportation corridor and industrial site. In "Riverdale Park, Don Valley" (1984), Burley presents a long view of a soccer field set in a pastoral landscape flanked by the hectic traffic of the Don Valley Parkway. Other photographs indicate the extent of industrialization that has occurred in this area, and the interesting visual possibilities they present.