day one

Today started early as Doug came by and lit a fire early and started to prepare for some castings - he is using bee's wax that has been part of previous art projects and now using it to cast hollow models of garbage - a broken paint brush, a plastic coke bottle, and other treasures that he will leave behind as he picks up actual garbage during an upcoming project. We chatted then ate breakfast - yummy cereal.

Today I will be mapping out some perspective locales and maybe some chance encounters. It is really weird because I seem to have solid plans - or at least the potential for solid plans of what I want to do and hopefully, each day will be both different and enriching in terms of my practice and what comes out of it.

So I journeyed to SKOL to see the current exhibition and to connect with Anne Bertrand. We caught up on things - talked shop, talked about each other and the challenges of working on the job at artist-run central. We also talked about the projects of the other furtive artist and what various projects that they have done, or are continuing to do. Being geographically removed form the groups has created this dis-connect that may just be. I also feel that because we all have very busy lives that these things happen. I am hopeful to be able to connect with almost all of the artist while in town. Anne talked about the magical powers of art and artistic creation and how, especially for her, it is vital that we are afforded the opportunities created by the freedom of this project to not have to create anything that makes this activity fascinating that special moments are created and that by not setting parameters towards the outcomes of this project that significant steps can be achieved with the artists and their practices. It is great that artist-run centres create these spaces when funding structures are not as often able to move beyond their antiquated structures.

Not having to create anything.

I think about the Banff Centre for the Arts and their creative residencies; their mandate is inspiring creativity and the Director of the. Walter Phillips Gallery - Kitty Scott - has often said that at Banff there are no expectations for products to be created. Inspiring yes; daunting - definitely. Karen Spencer said to me that she hopes that all my plans get derailed and that I may not do what I wanted, but something completely different. I know that she meant this in the best possible way, but I have no real plans - just an outline of setting time aside each day to research and to begin creating -- or creative practices. In many ways the exciting contemporary art centres are not the ones that are animating and exhibiting the next best artist, but centres that are engaged in discourses that provide multiple points of entry into this dialogue and by diverse voices that are exploring new and different ways of thinking.

I am now off to furtive.

Note to Self: need to get bagels.