Power, connection, metal lace, totem, guard, geometrical shapes and a visual hidden message.

I commute from Ancaster to St. Catharines every day. Amid the morning traffic, these giant hydro towers by the Red Hill Valley drew my attention. They looked like mythical creatures, powerful guardians or totems that carried a story. I decided to visit them, to take time and get closer.

The contrast between the hard, galvanized metal and the delicate, geometric lace-like lines was captivating. I stood there, so small in comparison, and felt awe. Gazing up from underneath the belly of the beast, I discovered beautiful, symmetrical flowers. I wondered about the engineer who created them. He or she must have had a poetic heart.

It became my pilgrimage quest to photograph other electricity totems, curious to find their unique language of shapes.  The poles presented here are from Mohawk Road by Chedoke Animal Hospital; along Barton Street at the Stelco plant; in Burlington by the train tracks; and other photos were shot in Kitchener and Port Colborne.

Sometimes, the mundane can be fascinating