Scotia Plaza opens Dream City of America for CONTACT 2008 photography
    festival

    TORONTO, April 28 /CNW/ - Scotiabank today unveiled Dream City of
America, a photography exhibit by David Fisher on display in Scotia Plaza's
main banking hall for the 2008 CONTACT photography festival. The exhibit
examines a series of ghost sites and archaeological siege fields at
Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, one of the world's best preserved 18th century siege
landscapes 250 years after its final conquest and fall.
    "Art and cultural events like CONTACT contribute to the richness of our
communities," said John Doig, Scotiabank Senior Vice-President, Marketing.
"Scotiabank is pleased to host Dream City of America, an exhibit that pays
tribute to the province in which we have deep roots and carries a rich part of
our country's history."
    Dream City of America is a series of large hand printed black and white
panoramic photo- composites that explore the history and mythology that is
steeped in the land. The fortified town has been partially reconstructed;
however, the remainder of Louisbourg's vast heath lands, coastlines and fields
remain untouched and have been left to the ravages of time and nature.
    Waterloo-based photographer David Fisher has spent the past five years
wading through bogs and crawling under brush to seek out and document visual
clues about Canada's early history and the lost stories that haunt these
surroundings. Inspired by panoramic period illustrations, Dream City of
America uncovers little known ghost sites buried under moss, ferns and fir
trees. The timely exhibition coincides with the 250th anniversary of the last
fall of Louisbourg.
    "Louisbourg, the great port city of New France on Cape Breton Island had
a short, thriving and turbulent life," said photographer David Fisher. "This
is a personal photographic odyssey seeking ghosts and mythology in the lay of
the land. As you view these images, keep in mind how the terrain has changed
over 250 years - exposing the memories and history of the land."

    Scotiabank is committed to supporting the communities in which we live
and work, both in Canada and abroad. Recognized as a leader internationally
and among Canadian corporations for its charitable donations and philanthropic
activities, in 2007 the Bank provided more than $43 million in sponsorships
and donations to a variety of projects and initiatives, primarily in the areas
of healthcare, education, social services and arts and culture. Please visit
us at www.scotiabank.com.