Fresh Eyes - Tagona Press

Fresh Eyes 2025

Fresh Eyes 2025: A New Perspective on Sault Ste. Marie

Our City is confronting several challenges as 2024 soon makes way for the New Year. What 2025 has in store for our community is likely anyone’s guess – ‘plus ca change, plus ca meme chose’ …

But there are some things where we Sault creative community stakeholders can make a difference by simply doing what we do best – telling great stories. This reality gives a unique Sault creative project its impetus – ‘Fresh Eyes – Sault Ste Marie in 2025’. Imagine this …. commencing Wednesday, May 7 and concluding on Sunday May 11, 2025, 8 photographers (4 local, and 4 from out of town) will be tasked to ‘shoot the Sault’. These artists will have full liberty and creative licence to capture the Sault from any and all perspectives … urban, suburban, industrial, Nature, people and places – no creative limits

Next imagine that these photographers’ work is being continually uploaded to a publicly accessible physical location (perhaps a downtown Sault hotel space) and a dedicated website where the work can be viewed by anyone – 100s of images will be shot in 5 days … in the Thursday through Sunday period, the City (students / classes, interested citizens – anyone) can visit, speak to some of the photographers about their work – see the art unfold before their eyes … a free and fulfilling experience for all. And the City will win, too – it is proposed that Sault Tourism can acquire any images shot during this ‘Fresh Eyes’ period under a free copyright license…. a promotional win!

And the writers? Imagine again how a selected creative group will be tasked to supplement the visual images with their literary impressions about what the work … and what the City means in 2025. Once again, there will be writers on hand to meet with any of the public coming to see the photographs in person. These visitors will be given their own opportunities to comment on anything they have viewed … comments that will also contribute to our ‘Fresh Eyes’ creation. An editorial team will oversee the final production.

This ‘Fresh Eyes’ approach with its fixed time frames and clear creative objectives has never been undertaken anywhere else (to our knowledge) – but why not here? And why not now?

The Fresh Eyes 2025 project is designed to challenge existing narratives and offer renewed perspectives on Sault Ste. Marie, highlighting its vibrant creative community and fostering a deeper connection between residents and their city. The initiative welcomes participation from individuals of all ages and backgrounds, emphasizing inclusivity and community engagement.

Subscribe To Fresh Eyes

behind the scenes

Project Phases:

01.

Photography Capture (May 7–11, 2025)

A diverse group of photographers will explore and document various facets of Sault Ste. Marie, including urban landscapes, natural settings, industrial areas, and community life. Their creative process will be shared in real-time, with images uploaded to a central server and displayed on public screens throughout the city. This approach allows residents to engage with and witness the evolving portrayal of their community.

02.

Literary Interpretation

Following the photography phase, writers from different genres—such as poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and Indigenous storytelling—will draw inspiration from the captured images to create original written works. These literary pieces will be published online, offering diverse narratives and perspectives that complement the visual representations

03.

Publication

A curated selection of photographs and writings will be compiled into both an e-book and a printed volume, slated for release by August 1, 2025. Contributors will retain intellectual property rights to their creations, and proceeds from book sales will be equitably distributed among all participating artists.