Red, Green & the Pause In/Between

A_________( x )____________B

What is x?

Red, Green & the Pause In/between represents a journey from “A to B.” Reading a line and claiming what direction it is going or coming from (A to B, or B to A) is subjective. For, many cultures have different ways of reading text or imagery. Through this accordion book, I am exploring the narrative of the line and it’s power to divide and direct us geographically and emotionally. For example, the dividing embossed line between “In” and “between” represent both the steady line and imprint of my bicycle tires (which repeats it’s motif on the book box) and the act of creating boarders or directions.

Part of the landscape of my usual route is residential yet neighbors the no-man’s land of the industrial area west of Clark Drive. This area, east of the (current) boarder of False Creek’s shoreline is a strange yet historically rich environment, where the train tracks divide Mt. Pleasant from Strathcona. What was once an estuary; home to many wild animals and a sheltered land for traveling aboriginal communities before European settlers, is now a paved industrial place --- the landscape to my usual solitary commute. In the last 100 years, this estuary became the site of two rail stations, a campsite for many men and women during the depression, a place for livestock grazing, and even homed a yellow cedar velodrome track. the area carries a certain spirit which I often think about during my commute from A to B. This book and my other current works surrounding this intriguing place are commenting neither negatively nor positively but are opportunities to be more aware of our everyday environment.

With my work, I hope to create a longer pause for contemplation in between our busy, quick, “stop and go” lives. Each page of the book depicts each stop and pause (I took a photograph at either a Red light, stop sign or busy intersection) that I must make during my daily bicycle commute to school from 856 East Georgia St. to Emily Carr University. On top of these estisol transfers, the wood-block prints and stamps provides a visual description of a sound recording that I took during my commute. This musically-inspired score acts as an accompanying map for the traveling embossed line. Like a surprising blow of a trumpet, the high-pitched sounds of bells and screeches are made with “safety-esque” yellows, oranges and reds. While, the greys, blues and moldy hues represent the drone and general palette of the route in which I take each day.

By pausing at “x”, collecting what the city leaves for me (whether visual or audible artifacts) I hope to create art that helps me understand the traveling lines of direction and division that are created for us in our city and in the ways we live and make art. I believe that to pause and contemplate the cityscape in which we live in is vital for not only our well-being as humans, but for our environment’s well-being. Under our feet may exist a stream, evidence of ancient animal tracks or spirits of old trees and other beings. I feel that it is important to imagine this history that lies below the concrete.