The art project on the fence at Strathcona Park continues. This weeks post is a reflection of the project.

June 16th SP was occupied by people who left Crab Park when the Port Authorities obtained an injunction based on people fearing to go to work and the possibility of the port being blown up due to a piromaniac in the camp. The Port Authorities, Portland Hotel Society etc. did NOT talk to the city or province to find a suitable place but rather, rumour has it one person from PHS “told” the group, “Strathcona Park is a good idea”. (wtf???)

That day was not a good day for the people and pets of the Strathcona community as it was the day we all began to loose our park and watch complete inaction from the Province (city and parks…).. Some of us called the city right away and naively thought “there must be a plan on addressing this since it’s now been in 2 other parks”. Opps nope, nope, and nope is what evolved and here we are 8 months later with NO solution!!! (Still no one is leading this towards a national solution.)

We started the abOUT Damn Spot project about 8 weeks after occupation when the community realized none of the gov’t officials had “a plan”. It was an attempt to create something positive in the futility of it all. The attempt was to keep trying to actually use the park and feel safe. We made “piece flags” and added them to the fence with the goal of a flag representing a tent. Of course, the idea was to engage in discussion and dialogue relating to the many issues that have been placed under one label of homelessness (NOT one tidy label). Things just got worse. The community was promised the people needing housing would be moved before the winter. Did that happen? nope, nope and nope. (Still no one is leading this towards a national solution.)

We started phase 2 of abOUT Damn Spot in CONNECTING THREADS, This was the project phase of making slogans from the “piece flags” and taking a fence panel per slogan. This continued while people were left in tents through the worst conditions of rain, muck and cold; as a society we found and find this acceptable while the community continued to write letters and call officials pleaing for the navigation centre promised…

This Strathcona community continued to write and question particularly “why can’t you place these people somewhere DRY and warm?” etc. Still nothing, nothing, nothing. We learnt more about the finger pointing that was going on — parks jurisdiction, city jurisdiction, provincial jurisdiction, federal responsibility… lots of blah blah. One official even said “what we’re doing is unprecedented?!!!” My response is “hmmm, really? You mean trying to work together?” Yes that is unprecedented. (Still no one is leading this towards a national solution.)

Bottom line the fence has been active during most of this drama, debate, neglect, public health hazard, no support for broken people… The fence can tell you it’s had a LOT of “piece flags” tied to it with orange hemp like yarn. The story grows daily as months pass.

What would the fence tell you if she could tawk? Firstly she would tell you “Here I am observing the everyday, everyday: people come people go; I hear things, I see things, I feel things... This art Project has resulted in things (piece flags) being attach to me and over many months they have been removed and attached as well as re-attached over and over again” .

At one point, just before a community protest on Prior st., almost all the flags were aggressively ripped off and tossed on the grass. It felt like a violation. While 3 community members involved in the art project came out to reattach the flags before a soon to be held protest on Prior St two of them got to witness an overdose and saved that addicts life. It was distressing in and of it self but was even more telling once the revived person, after 2 hits of narcan (who knew what that was until that moment) could only think to look for her can of beer. I wonder how many other fences get to witness this behaviour.

The slogans started filling the fence panels and now passers by has a nice floating visual and things to read, like never give up, kind/calm/safe… Flags were reattached and then some were taken and some were blown off during crazy winds. Most recently somebody (s) came by like he/ she/ we/ them/ they… were shopping and took a bunch that had letters or words on them; It was heard from the people that attach them that they were slogans — FLoat the boat, words of Walk, Talk and the letters N,E,V, G. Hmmmm, wonder how long this will go in for? AND What could you spell or say with the flags taken?”

The Artist comment would be more along the lines of “Hmmmm, wow, this project just keeps giving. Who knew? The futility of replacing flags removed, be they aggressively ripped down or leisurely shopped for, has become part of the art project piece itself. The random interaction between creator(s) and audience has brought this art piece to life and enriches the message.”

Speaking of the message, I recall talking to artist Carlyn Yandle about this very thing? We had a discussion about what to do in the park and how it could be a performance piece involving going to the park and unpacking then packing up. That part of the work was interesting as it was reflective of what was expected, but never done in the way prescribed, of the people in the tents. They were, and are, by parks by law and provincial rule supposed to only sleep overnight and pack up at 7 am and move along. So the original idea of doing a piece that involved going to the park and unpacking then packing up daily, the same way the tents are supposed to, became a reality in going to the park and also of the flags on the fence themselves.

The “piece flags” are relating to the futility of these people’s lives moving and packing and daily struggle to survive: CAWM collective attends the flags daily through observation and/or replacing, reattaching, meeting people, discussing… The flags have become that symbol of futility in their place on the fence— there then not there, replaced then removed then replaced, present then absent... I love the story this art piece is telling.

The idea of a next phase (will phase 3 be an end in and of itself?) is coming. This phase circles around the idea of bringing the fence and the tents together through the piece flags one at time.

Keep you posted!

These are a few of the new ones that will replace the most recent missing in action '“piece flags”