Toronto presents an intricate network of power lines: an element overseen by most locals but that is actually striking for a European coming to Canada. In Europe it is common to bury such cables underground, so the sight of dangling cables everywhere is foreign and quite perplexing. At first, it was hard to imagine the reason why such practice had not spread to the other side of the ocean. However, I later discovered that since the ground freezes for several months a year, it would make maintenance access close to impossible.

Upon learning this, I saw the power system with a different eye. Sure, it was annoying having all those cables in my pictures, but at least I knew it made sense for them to be there. That’s when I realised that they offer a really interesting framing tool so, rather than trying to avoid them, I could make them the main subject and add a strong geometrical factor to the composition of my images.

Throughout this series, wires are juxtaposed with different backgrounds sampled from all over the city. Showcasing a wide variety of colours, textures and perspectives, the images are very abstract and create a certain degree of disorientation, causing the viewer to wonder about the location of a specific shot. The wiring, however, links all the pictures together, just as it links the incredibly complex power grid of Toronto.

Wired City – Erica Marchetti 2019