Nicolas St-Pierre

Better known as Bank Street, Ottawa Road 31 stretches from Parliament Hill, in downtown Ottawa (Canada), to the small rural community of Vernon, some 34 km to the south. Although the issue is open for debate, Bank Street is regarded by many as Ottawa’s longest road.

Grounded at home in summer 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, local photographer Nicolas St-Pierre attempted to satisfy his wanderlust by hopping in his car and driving along Ottawa Road 31 in search of images that evoke past and dreamed travels.

Mixing portraiture, documentary and street photography, "The Longest Road" proposes an intimate visual exploration of the people, buildings and landscapes that make up Ottawa Road 31, and acts as a metaphor of the photographer’s persistent longing for a change of scenery in these unsettling times. The images comprised in this book speak to the universality of such themes as wanderlust, exoticism vs. familiarity, shattered aspirations and foreboding. "The Longest Road" will no doubt resonate with all those who, like Nicolas St-Pierre, saw their lives and dreams disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This book was selected as semi-finalist for the URBAN Book Award 2021 in Trieste, Italy.