My latest installation project is part of a Calgary initiative called Wreck City, with 100 artists and 9 soon to be demolished houses and garages. In this i took over an eclectic greenhouse behind of 805, and turned it into a forest as a homage to the space that in the past created so much growth. In it i took the available materials within the block of Wreck City and created a temporary installation that brought together the elements of going into a forest. Within this alternative space, I was able to create an environment that had all the sensations in one; sight, smell, sound and touch.
Out of the planters that were in the greenhouse I created a tree sculpture that opened up to a balcony where visitors can sit and see the neighborhood of Wreck City that we have created, instantly turning this place into an inviting and communicative install.
It became a peaceful sanctuary for visitors, feeling at home in this wilderness environment within the city, and although I feel a kinship with the natural beauty of the wilderness I wanted to bring reality into the discussion. I made sure to include elements that didn’t try to idealize nature, rather I embedded elements that would and do exist in the nature that we exist in. I created an office and a workshop that had items that I used to create the installation. The garbage was collected and sorted, showing a relationship to the urban/human environment.
I don’t think we should accept all of the things that we have made or try to escape it, I do think its time to take responsibility and live with our current ecological state. Part of being ecological is to embrace all that is in our environment, and learn to live with it. Wreck City has been a microcosm of what we would like to see in our community, and for one i would like to see us embrace all that we create destroy, throw away and thrive through the distopia that we live in.
