In her series Hydrological Maps of Canada, Joy Charbonneau (OAA, B.A.(Hons), M.Arch) transforms scientific data into visual abstractions that reframe our understanding of the Canadian landscape. Drawing on government hydrological files, she renders every river, lake, creek, and basin as a luminous network of white lines against a solid field of black - stripping away borders, infrastructure, and settlement to reveal the natural architecture of water that shapes the country. The result is a portrait of Canada defined not by political boundaries but by the interconnected systems of water that sustain it. Charbonneau’s work underscores the poetry embedded in environmental systems and the ways data can become both map and metaphor. Joy Charbonneau is an architect, artist, and designer. Born and raised in Southern Ontario, she holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Toronto and currently practices at Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects. Her work has been exhibited at the Design Exchange, Harbourfront Centre, The Department, the Larry Wayne Richards Gallery, and has been featured in publications such as the Globe & Mail, Wallpaper and Azure.
