Hans Blohm
Encyclopedia
Hans-Ludwig Blohm is a photographer and author. Over three decades, he has criss-crossed the Arctic
regions of Canada
and Alaska
, capturing images and stories of the Inuit
. He has driven 16 times from his home in Ottawa
to different parts of the North logging from 20 500 to 25 000 km each trip. He has driven the Mackenzie Ice Road
to Tuktoyaktuk on the Beaufort Sea
at three occasions and has explored by sailboat the remote, uninhabited fjords of Labrador
.
Blohm's landscapes and portraits have appeared in many books and magazines, while twenty-three of his photographs have appeared on Canadian postage stamps
. His solo photo exhibitions have travelled on four continents while his 17 books, ranging from coffee-table pictorials to a collection of essays from Northerners, have sold worldwide.
Blohm has also left his mark in the world of architecture, portrait
and microchip
photography
.
(marinehelfer) in Kiel
, Germany
’s major naval base on the Baltic Sea
. In 1945, he was assigned to the special guard unit for Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz
, wartime Germany's last head of state. After being discharged, Blohm helped to rebuild Germany
. He became a Master Carpenter
in 1955.
His father, an accomplished amateur photographer, sparked his passion for photography early in childhood. In 1949, Blohm purchased his first camera, a Diax
with a 50mm lens. Camera in hand, he travelled Europe recording his experiences on film. His most memorable adventure came in 1952 when he and a friend hitchhiked across Lapland
for three months. There, he was "bitten by the Arctic bug".
In 1956, Blohm came to Canada hoping to bring back to Germany a childhood friend, Ingeborg Ramm, who had emigrated to Canada a year earlier. After travelling across Canada, the couple realized they wanted to stay. Blohm and Ingeborg were married on November 2, 1956. They settled in Ottawa
to raise their three children: Norman, Heike and Sigrid.
From 1956 to 1958, Blohm worked as a carpenter
. Then he secured a job as a school photographer for all the rural schools in the Western Quebec School Board
and in Eastern Ontario
. For two years, with his Volkswagen Beetle
, he travelled the back roads from Montreal
to Port Hope
visiting the one-room schools.
From 1958 to 1963, Blohm became a darkroom
technician and manager. But when he dared ask for a raise he was instantly fired. With his portfolio in hand, he went around Ottawa
knocking on doors. He was close to getting discouraged when the National Film Board of Canada
(Stills Division) offered him $600 for a selection of his transparencies for featured publication in Year of the Land and Call them Canadians, two pictorial books about Canada.
Later in 1963, Blohm found a job at Photo Features Ltd doing contract work for the Ottawa Citizen
and operating the very first wire service
in Canada (which had been set up for one of their clients, the Toronto Star
). By 1966, he had become a partner in the business, owning 50% of the shares.
From 1964 to 1966, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
hired Blohm as a freelance cameraman. He participated in numerous National Film Board
books, publications and audiovisual programs.
In 1966, Blohm decided to become a freelance photographer. For Expo 67
in Montreal
, he was involved in the advanced planning of photo exhibits.
In 1969, he formed Foto Blohm which became Foto Blohm Associates Ltd. in 1971.
In the years that followed his skills and reputation as a photographer grew. Blohm's recognition earned him numerous major photo assignments from architects, high technology sector, government departments, galleries, etc.
Blohm's first exposure to the Arctic came about in 1977 when he and daughter Heike drove from Ottawa
to the Yukon
and Alaska
on a personal assignment. He wanted to photograph the installation of a new bridge over the Eagle River
, some 15 km from the Arctic Circle
. This bridge is the northernmost steel bridge of its kind, with special high tensile strength steel to withstand the temperature differences of the North. That steel was produced by Stelco
of Hamilton, Ontario
, one of Blohm's clients. The Canadian Army Corps of engineers
set up the bridge across the Eagle River
on the unfinished Dempster Highway
in winter 1976-77. In winter 1978-79, Blohm headed north again up the Dempster Highway.
.
Blohm was hired to record all the big events leading up to the establishment of Nunavut
. He was present at several of the meetings where the negotiations took place; the Agreement in Principle in Igloolik; the contract signing with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
in Iqaluit; the Royal Ascent signing at Coppermine (Kugluktuk); the unveiling of the Nunavut flag in Iqaluit during the April 1, 1999 celebration marking the official creation of the Nunavut Territory.
Blohm also obtained assignments from Makivik Corporation
, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
(NTI) and Canadian Geographic
to photograph various people of the Arctic. On behalf of the Inuit
Justice Taskforce he photographed the Inuit inmates in southern-style penal/halfway institutions in the Arctic as well as white man’s court in session about the Inuit.
Blohm’s book based on his experiences with northern people, The Voice of the Natives - The Canadian North and Alaska, took three decades and was originally published in English and German. During his travels, Blohm asked the northern Native people to reflect upon their experience on the living land. It has texts by a variety of Inuit. Blohm published it into the language of the Inuit. An advanced copy of the Inuktitut
version was unveiled at the Frankfurt International Book Fair
on October 7, 2004.
Blohm's work in the Canadian House of Commons has found him at various times perched on top of the Speaker
's table or constructing a special "tent" to control lighting around the highly polished Speaker
's mace.
Throughout his career, he had the opportunity to take the official portraits of several members of the Canadian House of Commons.
Blohm was assigned by the National Film Board
to photograph the burial of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson
as well as the Liberal Party of Canada
convention where Pierre-Elliott Trudeau won the leadership and replaced Lester B. Pearson
.
Blohm supported his camera with a solid gold bar while working deep within the main vault of the Royal Bank of Canada
.
Blohm undertook (along with other photographers) the first-ever production of a photographic catalogue of all artworks in the custody of the National Gallery of Canada
on the occasion of its 100th anniversary (in 1980).
An altogether different aspect of Blohm's work has focussed on high technology. In 1981, as he was standing in Mitel
’s lobby with one of the company’s 3-inch wafers in his hands, light hit the wafer a certain way and he saw a riot of colour coming off. After hours of attempts, the right angle appeared and Blohm took the photo he had longed for. The next day, the photo was put on the cover of Mitel
’s annual report. Mitel
commissioned their first backlit mural (six panel 14’ long and 10’ high) in a two-story-high mirrored wall used to create a panoramic array at its main reception lobby. For this mural, the 1/25th of a ¼” square microchip had to be enlarged 16 million times in area. Engineers calculated it to be the highest magnification of a small portion of a microchip, up to that time. Blohm was commissioned to produce nine more murals that hung in Ireland
, Puerto Rico
, Washington, D.C.
, Florida
, Bromont, Quebec
, etc. One of these was 28’ long and 8’ high for the new Mitel plant in Renfrew, Ontario
. Before long, he was hailed by some as Canada’s best microchip photographer.
Images of integrated circuits captured on his research microscope have become the public image of several high technology clients such as Mitel
, Nortel
, Mosaid, Motorola
, Optotech, Lumonics, etc.
In 1986, Blohm published Pebbles to Computers with Anthony Stafford Beer (Oxford University Press
). The book traces the evolution of technology from early pebble to computers through information storage devices such as the Phaistos Disc
in Crete
, Stonehenge
, and medieval calculator
s. It is a visual and philosophical musing on the link between prehistoric and ancient technologies and the "so-called high technology" of today. Blohm invested over six years of research and travel (to thirteen countries) before the book was published. As well as the book, an international exhibit, a calendar and a one hour TVOntario
documentary were produced.
Blohm's photographs are distributed worldwide by Masterfile, Canada's largest stock photography
agency. Blohm has been a contributor for over 30 years.
For Science North
in Sudbury, Ontario Blohm photographed thin slices of various rocks containing minerals in polarized light and darkfield. His photographs are being shown to children and visitors as part of the interpretive display.
Over 180,000 photographs taken by Blohm have been acquired by Library and Archives Canada
.
Arctic
The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
regions of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, capturing images and stories of the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
. He has driven 16 times from his home in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
to different parts of the North logging from 20 500 to 25 000 km each trip. He has driven the Mackenzie Ice Road
Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road
The Tuktoyaktuk Winter Road is an ice road on frozen Mackenzie River delta channels and the frozen Arctic Ocean between the Northwest Territories communities of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk, in Canada. It exists in the winter only...
to Tuktoyaktuk on the Beaufort Sea
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
at three occasions and has explored by sailboat the remote, uninhabited fjords of Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
.
Blohm's landscapes and portraits have appeared in many books and magazines, while twenty-three of his photographs have appeared on Canadian postage stamps
Postage stamps and postal history of Canada
The postal history of Canada falls into four major periods: French control , British control , colonial government control , and the Dominion of Canada, since 1867.- Origins :...
. His solo photo exhibitions have travelled on four continents while his 17 books, ranging from coffee-table pictorials to a collection of essays from Northerners, have sold worldwide.
Blohm has also left his mark in the world of architecture, portrait
Portrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
and microchip
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
The early years
From 1943 to 1944, Blohm served with the German Navy as an anti-aircraft gunnerAnti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
(marinehelfer) in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
’s major naval base on the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. In 1945, he was assigned to the special guard unit for Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
, wartime Germany's last head of state. After being discharged, Blohm helped to rebuild Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He became a Master Carpenter
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
in 1955.
His father, an accomplished amateur photographer, sparked his passion for photography early in childhood. In 1949, Blohm purchased his first camera, a Diax
Diax
The Diax is a series of 35mm viewfinder and rangefinder cameras made from 1947 to 1957 by the company Walter Voss based in Ulm/Donau . A characteristic model was the Diax Ia for interchangeable lenses, with 3 different viewfinders in the top, each in a different color: blue for 35mm lenses, yellow...
with a 50mm lens. Camera in hand, he travelled Europe recording his experiences on film. His most memorable adventure came in 1952 when he and a friend hitchhiked across Lapland
Lapland (region)
Lapland is a region in northern Fennoscandia, largely within the Arctic Circle. It streches across Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Kola Peninsula . On the North it is bounded by the Barents Sea, on the West by the Norwegian Sea and on the East by the White Sea...
for three months. There, he was "bitten by the Arctic bug".
In 1956, Blohm came to Canada hoping to bring back to Germany a childhood friend, Ingeborg Ramm, who had emigrated to Canada a year earlier. After travelling across Canada, the couple realized they wanted to stay. Blohm and Ingeborg were married on November 2, 1956. They settled in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
to raise their three children: Norman, Heike and Sigrid.
From 1956 to 1958, Blohm worked as a carpenter
Carpentry
A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....
. Then he secured a job as a school photographer for all the rural schools in the Western Quebec School Board
Western Québec School Board
Western Québec School Board is an English-language school district based in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It was formerly a Protestant school district. The chairperson is Michael Chiasson, and the director general is Mike Dawson.-History:...
and in Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
. For two years, with his Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
, he travelled the back roads from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to Port Hope
Port Hope
Port Hope mar refer to:*Port Hope, Michigan, U.S.*Port Hope, Ontario, Canada**Port Hope Aerodrome**Port Hope Conference**Port Hope Panthers**Port Hope railway station**Port Hope Transit...
visiting the one-room schools.
From 1958 to 1963, Blohm became a darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
technician and manager. But when he dared ask for a raise he was instantly fired. With his portfolio in hand, he went around Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
knocking on doors. He was close to getting discouraged when the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
(Stills Division) offered him $600 for a selection of his transparencies for featured publication in Year of the Land and Call them Canadians, two pictorial books about Canada.
Later in 1963, Blohm found a job at Photo Features Ltd doing contract work for the Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
and operating the very first wire service
Wire Service
Wire Service is an American drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956-57 season lineup.-Synopsis:Wire Service focuses on three reporters for the fictional Trans-Globe wire service, which was similar to real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International...
in Canada (which had been set up for one of their clients, the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
). By 1966, he had become a partner in the business, owning 50% of the shares.
From 1964 to 1966, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
hired Blohm as a freelance cameraman. He participated in numerous National Film Board
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
books, publications and audiovisual programs.
In 1966, Blohm decided to become a freelance photographer. For Expo 67
Expo 67
The 1967 International and Universal Exposition or Expo 67, as it was commonly known, was the general exhibition, Category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It is considered to be the most successful World's Fair of the 20th century, with the...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, he was involved in the advanced planning of photo exhibits.
In 1969, he formed Foto Blohm which became Foto Blohm Associates Ltd. in 1971.
In the years that followed his skills and reputation as a photographer grew. Blohm's recognition earned him numerous major photo assignments from architects, high technology sector, government departments, galleries, etc.
Blohm's first exposure to the Arctic came about in 1977 when he and daughter Heike drove from Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
to the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
on a personal assignment. He wanted to photograph the installation of a new bridge over the Eagle River
Eagle River (Alaska)
There are three rivers named Eagle River in the U.S. state of Alaska.Eagle River in Anchorage flows northwest from Eagle Glacier to Eagle Bay in Cook Inlet, 15 km northeast of Anchorage. Its Dena'ina name was Yukla-hina. The Anchorage suburb of Eagle River is named after this river...
, some 15 km from the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
. This bridge is the northernmost steel bridge of its kind, with special high tensile strength steel to withstand the temperature differences of the North. That steel was produced by Stelco
Stelco
US Steel Canada is a steel company based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.-History:Several existing smaller steelworks combined and were incorporated as the Steel Company of Canada in 1910. Charles S...
of Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, one of Blohm's clients. The Canadian Army Corps of engineers
Canadian Military Engineers
The Canadian Military Engineers is the military engineer branch of the Canadian Forces.-Mission:The mission of the Canadian Military Engineers is to contribute to the survival, mobility, and combat effectiveness of the Canadian Forces...
set up the bridge across the Eagle River
Eagle River (Alaska)
There are three rivers named Eagle River in the U.S. state of Alaska.Eagle River in Anchorage flows northwest from Eagle Glacier to Eagle Bay in Cook Inlet, 15 km northeast of Anchorage. Its Dena'ina name was Yukla-hina. The Anchorage suburb of Eagle River is named after this river...
on the unfinished Dempster Highway
Dempster Highway
The Dempster Highway, also referred to as Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8, is a highway that connects the Klondike Highway in Yukon, Canada to Inuvik, Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie River delta...
in winter 1976-77. In winter 1978-79, Blohm headed north again up the Dempster Highway.
Summary of achievements
Blohm's first assignment in the Canadian North occurred in Pond Inlet in 1979 when he was given the opportunity to photograph a gathering of Elders coming from all corners of Baffin IslandBaffin Island
Baffin Island in the Canadian territory of Nunavut is the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the largest island in Canada and the fifth largest island in the world. Its area is and its population is about 11,000...
.
Blohm was hired to record all the big events leading up to the establishment of Nunavut
Nunavut
Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
. He was present at several of the meetings where the negotiations took place; the Agreement in Principle in Igloolik; the contract signing with Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
in Iqaluit; the Royal Ascent signing at Coppermine (Kugluktuk); the unveiling of the Nunavut flag in Iqaluit during the April 1, 1999 celebration marking the official creation of the Nunavut Territory.
Blohm also obtained assignments from Makivik Corporation
Makivik Corporation
The Makivik Corporation is the legal representative of Quebec's Inuit people, established in 1978 under the terms of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, the agreement that established the institutions of Nunavik...
, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated is the legal representative of the Inuit of Nunavut for the purposes of native treaty rights and treaty negotiation and one of the four regional members that make up the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami...
(NTI) and Canadian Geographic
Canadian Geographic
Canadian Geographic is the bimonthly magazine of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society . It was first published in May 1930 under the name Canadian Geographical Journal. The society's objective was to produce a popular magazine dealing primarily with Canadian geography...
to photograph various people of the Arctic. On behalf of the Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
Justice Taskforce he photographed the Inuit inmates in southern-style penal/halfway institutions in the Arctic as well as white man’s court in session about the Inuit.
Blohm’s book based on his experiences with northern people, The Voice of the Natives - The Canadian North and Alaska, took three decades and was originally published in English and German. During his travels, Blohm asked the northern Native people to reflect upon their experience on the living land. It has texts by a variety of Inuit. Blohm published it into the language of the Inuit. An advanced copy of the Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
version was unveiled at the Frankfurt International Book Fair
Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. As to the number of visitors, the Turin Book Fair attracts about as many visitors, viz. some 300,000....
on October 7, 2004.
Blohm's work in the Canadian House of Commons has found him at various times perched on top of the Speaker
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
's table or constructing a special "tent" to control lighting around the highly polished Speaker
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
's mace.
Throughout his career, he had the opportunity to take the official portraits of several members of the Canadian House of Commons.
Blohm was assigned by the National Film Board
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
to photograph the burial of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
as well as the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
convention where Pierre-Elliott Trudeau won the leadership and replaced Lester B. Pearson
Lester B. Pearson
Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE was a Canadian professor, historian, civil servant, statesman, diplomat, and politician, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for organizing the United Nations Emergency Force to resolve the Suez Canal Crisis...
.
Blohm supported his camera with a solid gold bar while working deep within the main vault of the Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada
The Royal Bank of Canada or RBC Financial Group is the largest financial institution in Canada, as measured by deposits, revenues, and market capitalization. The bank serves seventeen million clients and has 80,100 employees worldwide. The company corporate headquarters are located in Toronto,...
.
Blohm undertook (along with other photographers) the first-ever production of a photographic catalogue of all artworks in the custody of the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
on the occasion of its 100th anniversary (in 1980).
An altogether different aspect of Blohm's work has focussed on high technology. In 1981, as he was standing in Mitel
Mitel
Mitel Networks, is a high-tech company providing unified communications solutions for business. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications but after a change in ownership in 2001 now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP products.Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa,...
’s lobby with one of the company’s 3-inch wafers in his hands, light hit the wafer a certain way and he saw a riot of colour coming off. After hours of attempts, the right angle appeared and Blohm took the photo he had longed for. The next day, the photo was put on the cover of Mitel
Mitel
Mitel Networks, is a high-tech company providing unified communications solutions for business. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications but after a change in ownership in 2001 now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP products.Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa,...
’s annual report. Mitel
Mitel
Mitel Networks, is a high-tech company providing unified communications solutions for business. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications but after a change in ownership in 2001 now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP products.Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa,...
commissioned their first backlit mural (six panel 14’ long and 10’ high) in a two-story-high mirrored wall used to create a panoramic array at its main reception lobby. For this mural, the 1/25th of a ¼” square microchip had to be enlarged 16 million times in area. Engineers calculated it to be the highest magnification of a small portion of a microchip, up to that time. Blohm was commissioned to produce nine more murals that hung in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Bromont, Quebec
Bromont, Quebec
Bromont is a city in southwestern Quebec in Canada, 75 kilometres east of Montreal on Autoroute 10, bordering the Eastern Townships at the base of Mount Brome . The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 6,049....
, etc. One of these was 28’ long and 8’ high for the new Mitel plant in Renfrew, Ontario
Renfrew, Ontario
Renfrew, Ontario, Canada, is a town on the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County. Located one hour west of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, Renfrew is the third largest town in the county after Petawawa and Pembroke. The town is a small transportation hub connecting Ontario Highway 60 and Highway 132 with...
. Before long, he was hailed by some as Canada’s best microchip photographer.
Images of integrated circuits captured on his research microscope have become the public image of several high technology clients such as Mitel
Mitel
Mitel Networks, is a high-tech company providing unified communications solutions for business. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications but after a change in ownership in 2001 now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP products.Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa,...
, Nortel
Nortel
Nortel Networks Corporation, formerly known as Northern Telecom Limited and sometimes known simply as Nortel, was a multinational telecommunications equipment manufacturer headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada...
, Mosaid, Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
, Optotech, Lumonics, etc.
In 1986, Blohm published Pebbles to Computers with Anthony Stafford Beer (Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
). The book traces the evolution of technology from early pebble to computers through information storage devices such as the Phaistos Disc
Phaistos Disc
The Phaistos Disc is a disk of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the Greek island of Crete, possibly dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age . It is about 15 cm in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols...
in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
, and medieval calculator
Calculator
An electronic calculator is a small, portable, usually inexpensive electronic device used to perform the basic operations of arithmetic. Modern calculators are more portable than most computers, though most PDAs are comparable in size to handheld calculators.The first solid-state electronic...
s. It is a visual and philosophical musing on the link between prehistoric and ancient technologies and the "so-called high technology" of today. Blohm invested over six years of research and travel (to thirteen countries) before the book was published. As well as the book, an international exhibit, a calendar and a one hour TVOntario
TVOntario
TVOntario, often referred to only as TVO , is a publicly funded, educational English-language television station and media organization in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority, a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario...
documentary were produced.
Blohm's photographs are distributed worldwide by Masterfile, Canada's largest stock photography
Stock photography
Stock photography is the supply of photographs licensed for specific uses. It is used to fulfill the needs of creative assignments instead of hiring a photographer. Today, stock images can be presented in searchable online databases. They can be purchased and delivered online...
agency. Blohm has been a contributor for over 30 years.
For Science North
Science North
Science North is an interactive science museum in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.The complex, which is Northern Ontario's most popular tourist attraction, consists of two snowflake-shaped buildings on the southwestern shore of Lake Ramsey, just south of the city's downtown core, as well as a...
in Sudbury, Ontario Blohm photographed thin slices of various rocks containing minerals in polarized light and darkfield. His photographs are being shown to children and visitors as part of the interpretive display.
Over 180,000 photographs taken by Blohm have been acquired by Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada is a national memory institution dedicated to providing the best possible account of Canadian life through acquiring, preserving and making Canada's documentary heritage accessible for use in the 21st century and beyond...
.
Publications
| Year | Title | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Monk, Lorraine Lorraine Monk Lorraine Monk, OC, O.Ont, née Lorraine Althea Constance Spurrell is a Canadian photographer.Her daughter Karyn Monk is a novelist.-Biography:... , Gail Vanstone and Hans Blohm. Canada with love = Canada avec amour. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart McClelland and Stewart McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is partially owned by Random House of Canada, now a subsidiary of Bertelsmann.... . |
0771060823 |
| 1983 | Blohm, Hans and Paul Russell. The Beauty of Ontario. Toronto: Methuen Publishing. | 0458961205 |
| 1983 | Blohm, Hans and Paul Russell. The Beauty of British Columbia. Toronto: Methuen Publishing | 0458961108 |
| 1984 | Blohm, Hans and Paul Russell. The Beauty of Quebec. Toronto: Methuen Publishing | 045896820X |
| 1984 | Blohm, Hans and Paul Russell. The Beauty of the Maritimes. Toronto: Methuen Publishing | 0458968307 |
| 1984 | Blohm, Hans and Claus-M Naske. Alaska. Toronto: Skyline Press | 0195406044 |
| 1986 | Haas, Rudi and Hans Blohm. Egg-carton Zoo; with an introduction by David Suzuki David Suzuki David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001... . Toronto: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as... Canada. |
0195405137 |
| 1986 | Suzuki, David T. David Suzuki David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001... , Hans Blohm and Marjorie Harris Marjorie Harris Marjorie Harris BA is a Canadian non-fiction writer who has published numerous books on gardening.... . Sciencescape - The Nature of Canada. Toronto: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as... Canada. |
0195405285 |
| 1986 | Blohm, Hans, Anthony Stafford Beer and David Suzuki David Suzuki David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001... . Pebbles to Computers: The Thread. Toronto: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as... Canada. |
0195405366 |
| 1989 | Blohm, Hans, Heike Blohm and Rudi Haas. Egg-carton Zoo II. Don Mills: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as... Canada. |
0195407180 |
| 1992 | Monk, Lorraine Lorraine Monk Lorraine Monk, OC, O.Ont, née Lorraine Althea Constance Spurrell is a Canadian photographer.Her daughter Karyn Monk is a novelist.-Biography:... , Hans Blohm et al. Canada with love = Canada avec amour. Willowdale: Firefly Books. |
1895565278 |
| 2001 | Blohm, Hans. The Voice of the Natives - The Canadian North and Alaska. Manotick: Penumbra Press. | 1894131134 |
| 2002 | Blohm, Hans. Die Stimme der Ureinwohner: der kanadische Norden und Alaska. Wesel [Germany]: M. u. H. von der Linden, [2002]. German translation of The Voice of the Natives. | 3926308079 |
| 2005 | Lutz, Hartmut Hartmut Lutz Hartmut Lutz is professor of American and Canadian studies at the University of Greifswald, Germany, with a special interest in Native American and Native Canadian studies.-Life:Lutz was born in Rendsburg, Germany, and studied at the University of Kiel... , Alootook Ipellie Alootook Ipellie Alootook Ipellie was an Inuit illustrator and writer. He specialized in black and white line drawings and illustrations. He is survived by his daughter, Taina Ipellie.-Publications:-External links:***... and Hans Blohm. The Diary of Abraham Ulrikab Abraham Ulrikab Abraham Ulrikab was an Inuk from Hebron, Labrador, in the present day province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, who — along with his family — was to become a zoo exhibit in Europe in 1880 as an attraction at the Hamburg, Germany public zoo.Ulrikab, along with his wife and two... . Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press University of Ottawa Press The University of Ottawa Press is a bilingual university press located in Ottawa, Ontario. It publishes approximately 25-30 books annually in both English and French. The UOP is the only fully bilingual university publishing house in Canada... |
978-0-7766-0602-6 |
| 2007 | Lutz, Hartmut Hartmut Lutz Hartmut Lutz is professor of American and Canadian studies at the University of Greifswald, Germany, with a special interest in Native American and Native Canadian studies.-Life:Lutz was born in Rendsburg, Germany, and studied at the University of Kiel... , Kathrin Grollmuß, Alootook Ipellie Alootook Ipellie Alootook Ipellie was an Inuit illustrator and writer. He specialized in black and white line drawings and illustrations. He is survived by his daughter, Taina Ipellie.-Publications:-External links:***... and Hans Blohm. Abraham Ulrikab Abraham Ulrikab Abraham Ulrikab was an Inuk from Hebron, Labrador, in the present day province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, who — along with his family — was to become a zoo exhibit in Europe in 1880 as an attraction at the Hamburg, Germany public zoo.Ulrikab, along with his wife and two... im Zoo: Tagebuch eines Inuk 1880/81. Wesel (Germany): vdL:Verlag. German translation of The Diary of Abraham Ulrikab Abraham Ulrikab Abraham Ulrikab was an Inuk from Hebron, Labrador, in the present day province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, who — along with his family — was to become a zoo exhibit in Europe in 1880 as an attraction at the Hamburg, Germany public zoo.Ulrikab, along with his wife and two... . |
978-3-9263-0810-8 |
| 2008 | Blohm, Hans. Nunaqaqqaaqsimajunut nipigijaujuq Kanatami ukiuqtaqtuani Alaska-milu. Ottawa: Foto Blohm Associates. Inuktitut translation of The Voice of the Natives. | 097363670X |
| 2010 | Raach, Karl-Heinz, Hans Blohm and Karl Teuschl. Kanada. Germany: Stürtz, 2010 | 978-3-8003-1896-4 |
Canadian postage stamps
| Date of issue | Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1980-03-06 | $0.17 | Photograph of Louis-Phillippe Hebert’s sculpture named "Inspiration". This stamp is part of the "Academy of Arts" series issued to celebrate the centenary of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts is a Canadian arts-related institution founded in 1880, under the patronage of the Governor General of Canada, Sir John Douglas Sutherland Campbell, the Marquess of Lorne. Canadian landscape painter Homer Watson was a member and president of the Academy... . |
| 1980-09-03 | $0.35 | Uraninite Uraninite Uraninite is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2, but also contains UO3 and oxides of lead, thorium, and rare earth elements... molecular structure |
| 1982 | $0.30, $0.35, $0.60 | Blohm photographed five of Canada’s oldest stamps for this series commemorating "Canada 82", the International Youth Exhibition. |
| 1987-06-12 | Blohm photographed various tools used by philatelists. His pictures appear on the souvenir sheet commemorating the centennial of organized philately Philately Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps... in Canada. |
|
| 1990-12-28 | $0.40 | One of Blohm's photograph of a mountain range was used as the background to the stamp "Flag over mountains". |
| 1991-12-27 | $0.42 | One of Blohm's photograph of a mountain range was used as the background to the stamp "Flag over mountains". |
| 1992-09-21 | $0.42 | Canadian Minerals. Series of five stamps issued for the 150th anniversary of the Geological Survey of Canada. All five photographs were taken by Blohm. |
| 1994-03-08 | $0.43 | Four of Blohm's photographs were used to make the drawings that appear in the joining tabs for the block of four stamps. These drawings represent the four roles that Jeanne Sauvé Jeanne Sauvé Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé was a Canadian journalist, politician, and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 23rd since Canadian Confederation.... played. |
| 2002-06-01 | $1.25 | Tourist Attractions collection. Blohm's photograph of Northern Lights was used on the Northwest Territories Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south... ’ stamp. |
| 2003-06-12 | $0.65 | Tourist Attractions collection. Blohm's photograph of Wilberforce Falls Wilberforce Falls Wilberforce Falls is an almost 60 meter tall waterfall located in the Wilberforce Gorge of the Hood River in Nunavut, Canada. The falls are one of the few major waterfalls in the world north of the Arctic Circle... was used for Nunavut Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993... ’s stamp |
| 2003-09-08 | $0.48 | Four stamps were issued to commemorate Canadian authors. Blohm's photographs of the original handwriting of these authors were used. |
Major solo photo exhibits
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| From Bona Vista to Vancouver Island | In 1979, the exhibit was presented at the Goethe Institute Goethe-Institut The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German... in Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario... (March 6 to March 25), at the First Canadian Place First Canadian Place First Canadian Place is a skyscraper in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the northwest corner of King and Bay streets, and is the location of the Toronto headquarters of the Bank of Montreal. At , it is Canada's tallest skyscraper and the 15th tallest building in North America... in Toronto Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from... (April 5 to 26) and at Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure Place Bonaventure is an office, exhibition and hotel complex in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, adjacent to the city's Central Station. At in size, Place Bonaventure was the world's largest building upon its completion in 1967.... in Montreal Montreal Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America... (May 1 to June 1). From 1983 to 1990, it travelled to Great Britain Great Britain Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... , Ireland Ireland Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... , and Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... . |
| Serendipity. Art Forms in High Technology, Nature and the Cities | From 1984 to 1991, three copies of the exhibit were travelling at the same time on four continents, e.g. Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... , Santiago Santiago, Chile Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level... , Lima Lima Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima... , Bogota Bogotá Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district... , Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... , Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... , Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... , Caracas Caracas Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range... , etc. |
| From Pebbles to Computers, a philosophical, historical, and partly technological overview of information technology from Antiquity Ancient history Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC... to today. |
From 1985 to 1991, four copies were travelling at the same time on four continents. The exhibit was seen in Ottawa Ottawa Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario... , Dallas, Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... , San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis, Chicago Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles... , Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the... , Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... , Atlanta, Bonn Bonn Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999.... , Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... , Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , Dublin, Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , The Hague The Hague The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam... , Belgrade Belgrade Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe... , Islamabad Islamabad Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011... , Karachi Karachi Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million... , Bombay, Delhi Delhi Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census... , Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom... , Singapore Singapore Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the... , Manila Manila Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,... , Jakarta Jakarta Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre... , Tokyo Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... , Peking, Moscow Moscow Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent... , Riga Riga Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,... , San Jose San José, Costa Rica San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San... , Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Havana Havana Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous... , Caracas Caracas Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range... , Santiago Santiago, Chile Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level... , Bogota Bogotá Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district... , and Lima Lima Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima... . Many larger US cities requested the exhibition two or even three times. |
Honours and awards
- The city of OttawaOttawaOttawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
has named Blohm Drive and two housing complexes (Blohm Court #1 and Blohm Court #2) in Blohm's honour. The street and the complexes are located in Hunt Club Park, east of Conroy Rd. At the time of their construction, it was decided that these developments and their streets would be given the name of prominent Ottawa photographers. Blohm Drive connects with Karsh Drive, named for portrait photographer Yousuf KarshYousuf KarshYousuf Karsh, CC was a Canadian photographer of Armenian heritage, and one of the most famous and accomplished portrait photographers of all time.-Biography:...
. The official opening of Blohm Court and Karsh Court occurred on June 17, 1988. These complexes are managed by the Ottawa Community Housing CorporationOttawa Community Housing CorporationOttawa Community Housing Corporation provides affordable homes for about 32,000 seniors, parents, children and persons with special needs in 164 communities across the city...
.
- In 2005, First AirFirst AirBradley Air Services Limited, operating as First Air, is an airline headquartered in Kanata, Ontario, Canada. It operates services to 30 communities in Nunavut, Nunavik, and the Northwest Territories. The majority of its fleet is available for charters worldwide...
chose one of Blohm's photograph of an inuksukInukshukAn inuksuk is a stone landmark or cairn built by humans, used by the Inuit, Inupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America. These structures are found from Alaska to Greenland...
for the 11 meter high tailfin of the airline’s passenger jetJet aircraftA jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
fleet.
- Professional Photographers Of Canada (PPOC) awarded him the title of Craftsman of Photographic Arts in 1972 and Master of Photographic Arts in 1974.
- Countless number of awards from professional photographic associations and photo clubs. Several regional awards for his architectural photographs.
What has been said about Hans Blohm and his work
- The Voices of the Natives... The Canadian North and AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
by Hans Blohm is a true representation of the Northern People. While working with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc, an Inuit Land Claims Organization [...] Hans has recorded the history of Inuit in NunavutNunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
. Hans has traveled extensively throughout the Arctic regions of Canada and AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. He has documented the hopes and visions of our Elders. He documented the Youth of NunavutNunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
, drumming for joy, promoting the happiness and joys of our people. Through his camera lens, Hans has helped to protect, preserve and promote Inuit culture. That is good for all people – Northerners and Southerners alike. [...] Hans is a true "Ambassador". He is our voice in southern Canada and the world. He has also become a good friend of us Northerners – we trust him. Peter IrniqPeter IrniqPeter Taqtu Irniq is an Inuk politician in Canada, who served as the second Commissioner of Nunavut from April 2000 to April 2005.-Biography:...
, Commissioner of Nunavut, August 1, 2001 - When I looked at Hans’ photos, there was much more of an artistry to it than I would ever have imagined. Taking something that looks so mundane and figuring out how to make it art is very unique and that’s where Hans excels. Jacques Guerette of Zarlink SemiconductorsZarlinkZarlink Semiconductor was a virtually fabless semiconductor company specializing in the design and manufacture of communication and medical semiconductor integrated circuits, modules, and other devices. In 2011, Microsemi acquired Zarlink in a hostile takeover and merged it it into its own operations...
.
- He’s so skilled in that he’s able to convert the mundane to something exciting. It’s the sow’s ear to silk purse analogy. Steve Wilson, manager of design engineering services at Optotech
- He is superb for taking a very complicated environment as it is, and directing traffic within it. A lot of people don’t know how versatile he really is. He’s done everything from walkabout shoots to photo microscopy and straight tabletop for us. Don Hewson, president of Hewson-Bridge and Smith Ltd, Ottawa
- It is not with every photographer you can talk about the history of mathematics and computers with. He has a superb understanding of these things, technical excellence, yet is also able to aesthetically tie it all together. Frank Edwards, associate publisher of Camden House PublishingCamden House PublishingCamden House, Inc. was founded in 1979 by professors James Hardin and Gunther Holst with the purpose of publishing scholarly books in the field of German literature, Austrian Literature, and German language culture. Camden House books were published in Columbia, SC until 1998...
External links
- Foto Blohm Associates
- The Voice of the Natives: The Canadian North and Alaska
- Blohm's open letter to Justice J.E. Richard
- Blohm's stock photos with Masterfile
- Blohm Drive on Google map
- http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/lac-bac/results/arch?FormName=MIKAN+Simple+Search&PageNum=1&SortSpec=score+desc&Language=eng&QueryParser=lac_mikan&Sources=mikan&Archives=&SearchIn_1=&SearchInText_1=hans+blohm&Operator_1=AND&SearchIn_2=&SearchInText_2=&Operator_2=AND&SearchIn_3=&SearchInText_3=&Media=&Level=&MaterialDateOperator=after&MaterialDate=&DigitalImages=&Source=&cainInd=&ResultCount=10Hans Blohm Fonds at Library and Archives Canada]