In August 2009, Emily Parsons-Lord and I collaborated on a series of sculptures for Extra Cheeese Stage 3 (from the guys that brought you Happenstance Magazine).

The point of the exhibition was for contributors to create something interesting out of ‘retired’ art/design materials. Each pair of contributors had to be one half “emerging artist” and one half “emerging designer”, working together to showcase the exciting ideas the Australian creative scene had on re-use in the industry.

An excerpt from our show’s blurb on ourselves:

Whether as art or design, both our works strive to instigate an intelligent and creative dialogue amongst the audience, regardless of their allegiances to art or design, mediated by clear playful and compelling communication.

Working together, we draw on history, technology and offbeat humour – often with an echo of the visceral for added tang.

In this new day and age where being wireless and portable is key, Em and I focused on e-waste. Unlike any industry prior to it, the world of technology moves at lightning speed. Always changing, dazzling and “conveniencing” us with new shiny gadgets that do everything from thinking for you to have sex with you.

We wanted to take a step back.

We collected an old computer desk, an old wired computer mouse, coffee table & floppy data disks to illustrate the yesteryear of technology that today helps us create. Mounting, pinning and displaying these now “endangered”, if not, extinct items in a traditionally prized context, we wanted to highlight where we’d all recently arrived from.

Make up your own mind on what it’s all about. Below are photos of our effort.

Mounting the desk to the top of the wall was probably the hardest bit!

                        

I took this photo of Vancouver’s “Pigeon Park” in 2007, while I was living there. One of the uses for the photo was a local Vancouver band called Pigeon Park. They contacted me a few months ago for permission to use the image on their CD. I’ve yet to see the results, but I wish them luck all the same.

Located on the corner of East Hastings and Carrall St, “People’s Pigeon Park” was both affectionately and contentiously named that because of it’s notorious Gastown residents. The human “pigeons” are made up of the homeless, drug users, dealers, mentally ill, the down-and-out and pretty much anyone else society tries to forget. I’ve often been told that this intersection houses (no pun intended) the densest population of homeless in all of Canada (in Winter) and of the West Coast of North America – a title many are outraged by and quietly proud of.

It’s both engaging and unbelievably saddening to witness so many people pushing their shopping carts and smoking their crack pipes at 10am. All this, right around the block from one of the city’s up and coming (and expensive) residential quarters and tourism centres.

Ask anyone who has lived long enough in Vancouver and they will impart some advice on conduct in the area, followed by some quirky/scary stories.
I once was taking photos for a local artist-run gallery (ACCESS), when a young man (definitely under 30 years of age) stopped me and somewhat anxiously asked if I could afford to buy him some cereal. He was desperate and down. I more than happily obliged; even bought him milk and a Nanaimo bar to have a decent meal. I was gobsmacked that it had gotten to this, for some guy not much older than myself, and that he had the courage to ask for help from a stranger. I only wish we could help more people, more significantly, regularly…

I’ve been told that since this photo was taken, the walls had been painted and the area “cleaned” out in time for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
I wonder what’s happened to the locals.

                        

My new website is finally up, not without some drama, sweat, tears and green teas.

This is my first attempt in developing my own Wordpress Theme – please forgive the design while I learn more about the Wordpress Codex. It’s also my first fluid site design in many many blue moons. Much has changed in the world of Web Development.

The new site also means I will be removing my previous blog. It will stay up until I get a chance to weed out a few stories for a “Best Of” type of post (and all those permalinks!)

It’s been both a beautiful and bumpy ride. Check back soon for my other work and movements.

Peace Out. Jo.