Landscape architect Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, born in Germany, has shaped Canadian cities with her parks and roof gardens like no other. Etta Gerdes, an emerging photographer of Germany’s younger generation, has photographed Oberlander’s landscape projects – in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Yellowknife, and also in Berlin. Gerdes’ photos of Oberlander’s projects are touring Canada and Germany in an exhibit presented by the Goethe-Institut Montréal. The exhibit shows how Oberlander, who studied under Bauhaus architect Walter Gropius, integrates technical innovations with ecological and social sensitivities to create her iconic landscape designs. This exhibit catalog includes essays by the Canadian architecture critic Lisa Rochon, the German garden critic Cordula Hamann, and an interview with Oberlander herself. Ann Thomas, Curator of Photographs at the National Gallery of Canada, comments on the photos of Edda Gerdes in the context of German nature photography.
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