PEOPLE... it takes a village to get through City of Vancouver

Honestly I tried not to complain about the CITY through this entire experience BUT sometimes you just gotta call it for what it is. Can you say “sh*% show”? How about I’m now suffering PTSD? or better yet, Has the madness actually come to an end?

The long and short answer is, YES, YES, NO.

That’s my rant as I “finally” approach getting into my home. Now onto some fun pics. about the project as I approach the end of my DISPLACEMENT (play on the exhibition by the ECCS - CRAWL show this year).

Photo 1:

Let the christening begin! Saturday night post-crawl 50 friends, nieghbours, family and crawlers came to share the escapades of crawling. I loved hearing of everyone’s favourites and/or stories… My approach is to check out all the new artists so there’s a focus in the chaos of creativity. This year’s pick was Greg Snider https://explore.culturecrawl.ca/artist/5385. Love sculpture.

Photo 2:

Speaking of art, check that artwork out!! The Crystal Octopus light has given me an unexpected joyous gift. Before the renovation started I would come into the house and capture rippling reflections of light that were projected onto the walls due to the single pain melting windows. To my surprise these new lights are reminicent of that time in a NEW way. Look back in the blog for those OLD reflections (maybe Sept. 11, 2017 or was it Feb. 13, 2017 or Sept. 19, 2016, or Aug 15, 2016…).

Photo 3:

Can you find Koko?

Photo 4:

Yes that’s here with me in the NEW kitchen space where we’re looking forward to hosting a “few” parties. Stay tuned for those people that make the village!

COMMUNITY...crawl on over

Well this weekend we’re coming up to the CRAWL, a 4 day event presented by the Eastside Culture Crawl Society (ECCS) — now a Charity; Bravo for them!! If you’ve been reading this blog you’ll know I’m a fan of this organization. The ARTS community is one I hold near and dear as, like every ‘real’ village, it has the good, bad and the ugly; in other words, a rich community. I define richness as pure, integral, built on the “right” thing and knowing the difference between staying true to yourself and NOT.

In that vein, heading out to experience something rich, a friend and I attended an Artist Talk on November 9th at 1000 Parker St. The Artist Talk by David Robinson was part of the ECCS programming . This artist, I must say, is so humble and basically a community in and of himself — what a humble human being with an exquisite talent for figurative sculpture and a poet when sharing his thoughts on materials. I wish I could have recorded this talk as David dropped so many gems about art, being an artist, and his path not only as an artist but as a human being on the planet. Wow, thank you David for the gift(s).

As you can see it was a talk for dogs and humans alike: Artdog Koko brought her friend Magoo and they too enjoyed the presentation. The humans looked pretty engaged too, don’t you think?

Artdog Koko definetly gives David Robinson a 4 paw solute and loves the community engagement he does all over the building. She’s sniffed it all out!! When you’re walking around the outside and the inside of 1000 Parker St make sure to look up and down as the sculptural figures he creates are to be found everywhere. This talk was on the 3rd floor at Parker, in the studio space where Robinson works his magic, this made it easy for Artdog Koko to drag me to her friend and mine Carylann Leoppky’s studio. She is definitely another Artdog Koko pick — this piece in particular.

Check all out Nov. 14-17 in the ART DISTRICT in Vancouver — https://culturecrawl.ca/.

PROGRESS...room with a view

…Or just looking out a window. So easily, there could be a different story every day connected to opening windows here at Project 851. For instance, me in the two bedroom bathroom opening the window calling Mom in the three bedroom to come out onto her deck, while Dino’s head pops out of the top floor bedroom window in the Pink House to quickly answer the question, “where are the boxes from the garage going?”

You may or may not have heard of “Opening Doors”. It’s a fabulous book about this neighbourhood, (note to self: would make a great Xmas presents) written by two artists who live in the hood. I like to think the windows at Project 851 are a mini version of this endearing and charming book. Let’s give you a little taste of the views and perhaps you’d like to create a few stories yourself.

Starting with a bathroom window (855):

Windows of 857 (sometimes a picture says a thousand words) — p.s. left the one out with 6 skunks in my neighbours yard hehehe, maybe next post.

Now onto the Pink House: (little windows of the garden space… to the sky)

up and up!!

I don’t have the video of me popping my head in and out of these windows yet (lol) but you might just want to stay posted!! smile

Here’s a great reminder and photo composition credit to my lovely niece Natasha.

ART...60'S party at the Queen E Theatre amongst other things!

Last weeks post alluded to a few of the artists and creatives that have work in this Project. One of those people being,Lincoln Heller, who is 5Left. I love him and his work, such a fun energetic man of integrity and style. He was trained as a photographer at Emily Carr University. To pay his way through school he worked at logging camps. Being the creative person he is, Lincoln took his logging camp experiences to an artistic level and began working with leather. That’s Lincoln and that’s the collection of 5Left. Another artist worth checking out at the ECCS Crawl 2019 — you’ll find him at 1000 Parker St 2nd floor.

After years of acquiring some amazing leather purses I thought it fitting for Lincoln to play a role in the Project here. Check these out:

Valuing the keys to your abode and how we keep them safe is often taken for granted. Not only was it fun for me to think about presentation of the keys to the doors of these units but how art, design and craft could come together in how it would feel in your hand. The fun was the tactility, visuality, and joy of sharing. I like the idea that every time a key goes into a door here at Project 851 there’s a nod to valuing all of the things mentioned. A joyous celebration of labour and love combined.

Speaking of celebrations, who went to the partaaaay at the Queen Elizabeth theatre this weekend? Maybe you’ll see yourself in one of these fun shots!!