we are all beautiful dreamers

état d’urgence 2007

the artists installations and the tents for atsa’s état d’urgence are being set up today. it feels kinda ironic how we occupy space to “make space” for those who have none. I have ambivalent feelings about the état d’urgence… so I feel privileged to be able to participate at the event and feel out what this feeling of ambivalence is for me. on the one hand I think this event is great. a gathering together in a downtown space of all the people who normally are kicked out of places like this park. a time when we come together and support one another, offering food and warmth and connection. and I like how the état d’urgence is big and loud and demands attention. and I have a lot of respect for annie and pierre, it really is amazing how these two artists have mobilized the community around this event. and this is the eight year…that certainly says something about their dedication and perseverance. I guess I will sit with the space and try to figure out where my little ball of resistance resides and what it can tell me. (it’s possible I will find out I am jealous at how confidently the état d’urgence takes up space and how successful it has been…)

oh…and the dream. this dream reminds me of what gadget told me: how he always dreamed of candy rock mountain when he was on the street.

left at: État D’Urgence at Place Émilie-Gamelin, Sainte Catherine corner of Saint Hubert.

dream #176

left at: alley behind 4150 Clark, corner of Rachel.

dream #173

left at: vacant lot on the corner of Notre Dame and de Lorimier Avenue.

paper ladder-vida simon

this is a magical exhibition. and it is all made from cardboard! it draws out “wonderment,” a return to childhood wonderment –opening drawers and finding secrets inside. I wanted to go back to my childhood, return to the exhibition with my best friend, make up imaginary worlds and play for hours.

(the exhibition closes on the 28th, so catch it quick!)

left at: in drawer # 627 of Vida Simon’s “The Paper Ladder: a participatory artwork for children” at 653 Ogilvy Avenue.

I learned something new…

I had an interview at ckut on vince and victoria’s show “victorious and invincible” (although only vince is there now as victoria is off learnin video editing…) about dream listener and the c.d. launch. the shows are archived for 2 months on ckut’s website. just find the date (october 16) and the time (1 pm) and it’s there in mp3 format… so if you want to have your own copy of the interview go to: http://www.ckut.ca

but I learned the something new at the launch of the c.d. on friday night, thanks to a techno savy guy, as we were keeping dry from the rain (it really poured) underneath the overpass and as I was overdosing on roasted marshmellows, he told me this thing about blogs… you see, I had never bothered to title my posts because I have this block about titles…I can’t think of good ones, and I thought it wouldn’t matter much anyways, but apparently, (this is what I learned) if you title your posts, then the post has it’s own url and people can send other people to a particular post…uh huh. so, from now on boring titles will accompany all my posts. cool huh.

left at: in front of CKUT 90.3 FM McGill Radio Inc., 3647 University.

this beautiful man is in this picture because the sun was going down –which meant to avoid getting glare I had to take the photograph on an angle which meant the man sitting on the bench would be in the photo. before taking the shot I asked the man if he was o.k. being in the picture. he said, “sure; it makes no difference to me, I’m not wanted by the cops.”

left at: one lot east of 4677 Notre Dame, corner of Courcelle.

october/2007

dream translated: I dreamt I said, “She brings people together, then she tears them apart.” “She,” being my mother.

a very strange area with lots of long low buildings, company headquarters, and then a couple of blocks down the street some residential dwellings and a huge gold domed seik temple under construction.

left at: unidentified warehouse space, one company being Schenker, on Cordner, corner of Senkus.

october/2007

this block of de maisonneuve is still not open to traffic as repairs continue since the seven meter crack in the ceiling of the tunnel connecting the bay department store to the metro was discovered. for two days in late august the bay and the adjoining buildings for a seven block perimeter were evacuated. as well a section of the metro was closed. fears of the tunnel collapsing and taking the bay down with it were expressed.

left at: The Bay, 590 de Maisonneuve, corner of Aylmer.

october/2007

IN HONOUR OF THE ST. JAMES CENTRE

CRUM (Centre de Recherche Urbaine de Montreal)

presents:

dream listener : An audiobook in three movements


and

Live painting with the St-James Centre Artists!

All proceeds from the launch will go to the Saint James Drop-In Centre.

19 octobre 2007
18h à 23h

COME AND KEEP WARM AROUND THE BARREL FIRE: ROAST MARSHMELLOWS or HOTDOGS IN A PARK WITH NO NAME: 19 octobre 2007 18h à 23h

à Dare-Dare Centre de diffusion d’art multidiciplinaire de Montréal.

DARE-DARE est situé
dans un parc sans nom / in a park with no name
entre Saint-Laurent et Clark,
entre Arcade et Rosemont/Van Horne
métro Rosemont ou bus 55 (sortez à Bernard)

The audiobook is the compelling story of dream listener, a public art project by “dream listener” in collaboration with the Centre de recherche urbaine de Montréal, Homeless Nation and the St-James Drop-In Centre. The dream listener project is a mobile intervention in the street that has taken place for a year between 25 November 2006 and 25 November 2007. For one year “dream listener” has written dreams on cardboard, gone out into the street, and held the cardboard dream.

Because this intervention takes place in the street and because found cardboard is used to communicate dreams, there is an implied relationship between the action and the people who live their lives on the street. “dream listener” has also spent the year building a relationship with the people of the Saint-James Drop-In Centre, a day centre for people who are at risk because of one or a combination of the following factors: homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, personality disorder, or intellectual handicap.

The audiobook produced by the Centre de recherche urbaine de Montréal is a compilation of the dreams collected from people on the street and from the Saint James Center. It tells the story of “dream listener’s” experiences and the story of people met along the way.

The c.d. is available at the launch for a suggested donation of 10$ with all proceeds going to the Saint James Centre.

For more information :

Saint James Drop-In Centre http://www.stjamescentre.ca/
The Homeless Nation is Canada’s only website created by and for Homeless Canadians. They work to close the digital divide between the general public and Canada’s homeless population. http://homelessnation.org