For most people, living in a van down by the river is a step in the wrong direction.
For Alberta photographer Tim Van Horn, it's a moral obligation.
He has been travelling the country for close to 10 years, taking 65,000 pictures while visiting a total of 1,300 different communities. His mission – promoting Canadian diversity.
All of the portraits will be put into a mural which Van Horn calls the Canadian Mosaic Project.
In 2008, while living in Red Deer, Alta., Van Horn said he noticed a need for Canada to have a symbol which accurately reflected the country's view on multiculturalism.
“What is going on in our country is so unique and special that it can't be emulated or recreated nor can it be noticed through a government policy,” said Van Horn in his camper van on Monday. “The world is becoming so fragmented and that process of living in peace is becoming more elusive for many people. My project is hopefully going to keep Canada, Canada.”
Van Horn, 49, embarked on his journey across the country almost ten years ago. He will be spending another month in Yellowknife before setting out on another year and a half long journey across the country, gathering content.
This is his fourth stop in Yellowknife. Van Horn said to date he has taken 1,114 photos. He plans on taking another 1,000 while he is here. He will return in July when his final work will be displayed at the legislative assembly for Canada Day.
“The idea is to stand you in front what inspires you to contribute to the community,” said Van Horn. “This isn't about celebrity, I'm not looking for certain types of people. I'll pick a street corner which I think is a good cultural crossroads. I will stand there and I will ask the next closest person to be part of my mural.”
Van Horn added the spot in Yellowknife he feels is most diverse is the sidewalk in front of the post-office on Franklin Avenue.
“This sidewalk is shared with people from around the world and within the community ... it's a snapshot of who is using that cultural crossroads in their travels,” he said. “That one location shows you the multitude of possibilities. I use the same method across the country and that's how I gather knowledge about the diversity.”
Now he said, the project has evolved beyond promoting multiculturalism.
“There is a need to talk about who we are in this country, there is a need change the mindset of the old school,” he said. “There's a need to welcome the newcomers. There's a need to inspire people more than ever to follow their dreams to follow their hearts and this mosaic is all about showing you what life can look like.”
He wants to keep working toward his goal of cultural awareness into retirement he added. His further aspiration is to create a bus, similar to his camper, and travel across Canada. He wants his message of accepting diversity to be felt by future generations. The end goal, said Van Horn, 200,000 Canadian portraits and creating the largest mural in Canadian history.
“Really, I want to not talk about nationalism as much as I want to talk about finding your purpose. It's just packaged with the Canadian flag so people can understand it,” said Van Horn. “I want to go to schools and talk to children about the need to follow your heart and find your purpose ... by doing so, hopefully the message will stay with them for the rest of their lives.”