What a tumultuous ride. It was just suppose to be a quick 6 month stint to get out of Calgary and do something different. 4 years later and I leave with a degree, a confused heart and more art than I can house.
One of the biggest transitions in my life had happened in Montreal, one could say that I "woke up." I can definitely agree with that statement.
I learned so much about myself, and people. I was burned more times then I would like to discuss, I saw things in people that I didn't know existed, and shocked about how people treated themselves. Perhaps this is when I started my whole "Hope for Humanity" campaign, which I still march on strong today.
I did experience many beautiful things there, and met some of the most amazing people, whom I know I will be with for the rest of my days. I discovered my passions and by ability to do anything, how smart I am, and how far I will go.
Overall I will say that the bad out weighs the good. Montreal will never leave a bad taste in my mouth though, I will always return with happiness.
I know this is probably not the elaborate entry that you were perhaps hoping for, I have been preoccupied these days. I had also lost my camera this summer, so that definitely inhabits my ability to post. Next time I will have something great to share. Until then...
These photos were taken in the alleyway behind the building that I'm doing my installation in. Alley's are a rare find in Montreal so every time I find one I document it. You can see the progress of my installation on my website.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Today we were installing our pieces for the group show that I'm in. It was a lot of all over the place, hurry hurry last minute stuff like building a wall. Ha! I was a little bored at times, so I went outside to take photos of the ornamental kale that was planted there last spring. Shit, that stuff is hardy... Wow! I like the dirt ring around it, like it's aura was so warm that it melted all the snow away. Does this mean that spring is coming?
This is one of the best installations that I've see in a while. Okay Mountain is definitely on my top ten list right now, hence the flavor of the week. I might have even squeezed out a few tears when I read Michael Siben's hilarious blog entry on Fecal Face. It was EPIC! Kinda makes me feel like I should find some rad kids to start a collective.... orrr, I'll just stick it out with my bad ass self in my little hovel.
I'm not too sure if anyone knows of Pogo, he does amazing remix's of movies into songs. Brilliant... This one is my favorite, by far, and I'm shocked that I haven't shared it with you before. I forgot about it for almost a year, so this was a pleasant surprise.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do... its the only thing that I could possibly watch to try and animate the childhood I never had.
Unfortunately it's true. After trying to revive her for sometime, it proved to be unsuccessful, cause she's just to darn old.
Dayne had this brilliant idea that he wanted to make hip pouches, and when he realised that my little PFAFF sewing machine just couldn't hack it, he checked craigslist and there she was, living in this woman's closet with 3 others just like her. Dayne called up Mattzor and they took the plastic lil tykes wagon that Naomi left at our house before she moved to Winnipeg, over to Little Burgundy, the neighbour hood next to ours.
At my surprised, they managed to hull this machine ( it weights well over 150lbs.) all the way home, and only bent one wheel out of place on the wagon.
Dayne called her the "slave driver."
I spent so much time on that machine. I created, I cursed, I learned how to fine tune it, and I learned how to be patience. I also sewed through my finger once.
I just feel like I should announce her demise cause I sold her to an Italian for 10 bucks, and he immediately threw out her table, and picked her apart for her goods. I feel bad cause I never said good bye. I just left her there... she had no idea what her fate was going to be.
She sure was pretty.
Friday, January 29, 2010
I was thinking about how I don't really remember any prolific experience that I could relate to my first snow adventure. My mother and father's parents both own/owned property in the country. I would have to say that I have much fonder memories of times spent outside of the city in the winter, rather then in the city. I remember building snowman with my grandfather Vince. He used to have a dog named Major Jones (that's how I came up with your nick name, not insinuating that your a dog, I was more in love with his personality then anything else...he was my best friend.) When I was young I couldn't say his name so I called him Woofy. My grandmother, Maxine used to give me a basket full of rice crispy with little pastel coloured marshmallows in it. I would share with the squirrels. They were usually stale,( the marshmallows, not the squirrels) but I didn't mind, it was fun that way. I could spend more time sucking them till they were soft. Sometimes I would just see if I could break them with my teeth. We would always used a carrot for a nose. After we would walk through the forest and watch the deer.
My mothers parents cottage was filled with snowmobiling, ice skating on the lake, snow angels, and catching snow flakes on my tongue. One time I was GT snow racing with the Neighbours grandson. We had made a jump that flew onto the frozen lake. I was the first one to try. I aced it. Then he tried and hit the jump wrong, flew off and landed on his nose and cut it open. Blood everywhere. He was embarrassed cause I'm the girl...
My dad would try and make up for the fact that we were in the city, cold and bored and would sometime and take me tobogganing. He was kinda young, and not so smart sometimes. For an example, he would take me to the top of a really steep hill and stick me in the front of the toboggan cause my legs were small enough to fit into the curl of wood. My dads a big man. Lots of weight makes you go fast. I would end up getting a face full of snow, and sometimes I would fall off. I Would cry, but it was always worth it.
I never had money to go snowboarding with the other kids. Though Joan Bailey did take me skiing for a few seasons and at that stage of my adolescence, that was probably the best time of my life. I had never felt freedom like that before, except on my bike.
Now... I spend my time going back and forth back and forth, always preoccupied with things that aren't really going to matter in the end. So, today I decided to watch the snow fall.
I forgot how amazing it is that these tiny little individual frozen water impressions, each their own unique design could fall from the sky in the purest virgin white form.
I didn't record any sound with it so you have to listen to THIS song while you watch it.
