environment

Reclaiming the Lawn

  
Finding space to grow vegetables, flowers and medicine on the lawn would have been impossible if I would have approached the landlord through criticism of the lawn, saying that the whole patch should be garden. 

I would have ignored the desire of the kids who live here to play, sit and throw frisbees. 

Instead I took posts from black locust thrown from an ice storm last year and marked out a garden that fits with the current design and occupies a boundary between the lawn and the four lane road. 

The garden was then woven, with the landlords, using leftover willow from making baskets and fences, seed collected in my wanders, and compost from the back yard. 

  
This small space is now yeiding scarlet runner beans, calendula, red clover, winter squash, self seeded tomatoes and borage from last year, Swiss chard and arugula. 

The garden around the Siberian crabapple planted in every lawn when these houses were built over 50 years ago has sage, Wild Ginger, oregano and native woodland strawberry. 

Maybe in the fall I will place another woven bed taking up another patch of the lawn, foot by foot, until it is all garden. 

A Village of a Thousand Frozen Bricks – Part I

Winter has gone, and its spring. time to forget everything about the -20 cold snap and move on to planting gardens…..though i’d like to take a moment to look back to what we built this winter with some household objects, last year’s christmas trees and plant stalks, and a whole lotta water.

The cold brought us an opportunity. build a castle, a village, a pirate ship.

but not in the way that you fundraise, design, put to tender and build by experts.

the kind where we rebuild it in every moment, with every kid that comes by, and with every idea that crosses our path.

the following is the first steps of the ice village…over three months!

It turns out that if you pack damp snow into a milk crate and drop it upside down, a snow brick pops out. If you then Make walls to defend yourself in an oval shape and throw a few logs across it is ready for the pre-made willow roof. This particular roof was made with teens from royal st.george college into a coracle or willow boat and floated it in the pond! It then progressed into the garden where it transformed into a title by little kids. Now that your roof is in place grab some Garden tools and show the kids how to fill the kinks in the walls…..and in a day you have the turtle igloo. Somehow today in an odd cyclical turn, as it melts in this warm spell, the turtle igloo sprouted milk crates. Who knew?

the ice village is born!: it is heartening to see that this concept we co-created draws in all children’s attention naturally! we arranged and played with all the blocks we had made in previous weeks and arranged them into a wall (or turtle depending on who you ask:). the objects hidden inside the ice are, to some children, personal challenges to free. we took turns supporting this desire with tools and then trying to keep the blocks intact. we have filled many more containers (with h2o) and are moving away from the obvious milk crate (as the finished product has some plastic in it that is hard to remove).

These first experimentations were held back by a mental image of a castle informed by what others have built.

when we let go of these other options and started using the material and energy we have at hand, then each creative suggestion can be tried to allow a free evolution of the ice village. the opposite process would look like an idea by a single person, a grant which outlines the amount of time that can be contributed to facilitate it, and finally searching for the ideal audience.

By contrast this collaborative process is a statement of intent in the culture which promotes community resourced technology, especially sweet when it helps people enjoy the winter and stay warm by ‘experimenting.’

see the cumulative effort of our winter work in part II.

sneak peak

As the World Turns : Rankin Inlet, Nunavut (2009)

SYMBOLS OF CHANGE;

A collaborative process where school children in Rankin Inlet are encouraged to ‘draw out’ their vision of what symbols can be used to illustrate change. these drawings were then brought into the studio and painted with hand made gauche with a mind to putting painted emphasis on only those details in the drawings that the children elaborated. these works were supplimented by a documentary film (with the questions and process guided by the kids participating) and exhibited in the local school, a small gallery near Stroud in the UK and at the University of Toronto.  

exhibition of the film work and painted works in rankin inlet, nunavut, canada-2009
each class came out in rotation to share and celebrate the kids work (with me)
the exhibition in ruskin mill, gloucestershire, uk – 2009
exhibit poster -2009
documentary film from the project:

https://foolishnatureblawg.wordpress.com/video/documentary/inuk-a-short-film-of-modern-life-in-rankin-inlet-nunavut-2009/

see this post in its natural habitat: http://www.foolishnature.org/homely/cultural/world%20turns/WORLDturns.html

WORKSHOP PROPOSAL FOR INTERESTED STUDENTS. Feb. 2009.

Background: I am an artist working in Toronto for a national charity called Evergreen, and have an exhibition organized in south-western England for mid-April of this year. I could easily sit down and paint a number of paintings on the subject which interests me, namely, the evolution of environmental/social change in Rankin Inlet. I thought it would be more interesting, and valuable, to host a series of workshops which teach through experiential education by engaging students in creating their own symbols of change. These symbols will then be drawn onto large paper, which I will then turn into a large series of paintings. The resulting work will travel with me to England where these symbols will exhibited. Half of the proceeds from the sale of this work, in England, will go to the school to buy art supplies, and this will be emphasized in the exhibition.

Workshop Content: speaking about symbols and their function in our everyday life, and allowing students time to brain-storm about the kinds of symbols they are surrounded by. This leads into the discussion of change, and writing out what kinds of change they are surrounded by. How do they think things have changed? Are changes good? Finally we begin the process of finding the symbol, the one most important detail, a detail which encapsulates all that is the story, the process of change. These is the symbols we find in groups of ten, and illustrate individually on paper and with materials that I provide. Guidance and some artistic guidelines will help to provoke creative work which will be effective, both in the sense of being a valuable learning experience through dialogue about change, but also will give some insight into the community and the lives of people who live here.

Overall Goals: I will leave Rankin Inlet, in two month’s time, with a body of work for this exhibition, as well as a short documentary film about the process. Through making this work as an artist-in-residence within the school, I will be able to provide means of creative expression for interested students which will then travel and give them a chance to have an international audience hear their unique voices. This project will both allow the students the chance to to tell their story to a large audience, and give the audience the opportunity to support the community whose work they are viewing, and contribute in a holistic way to the development of the arts in Rankin Inlet. This is the difference in intent between commercial and community art, and I strive to become a more successful community artist. Success in this sense is measured by the integration of the project within the community, and the mutual benefit found in the process.

Additional Ideas: There is a possibility, as an introduction to this workshop process to host a couple of events, short talks, film screenings, within the school. I could give a short talk on the nature of environmental change, and the usefulness of symbols to educate people about our environment. It would be valuable to also find a member of the community who could mirror this talk by speaking about the evolution of culture in Rankin Inlet. Finally, we could exhibit the work here for a short time, before it travelled to England in the end of March, giving the students who participated a chance to see how I have painted their drawings of change, while opening up the work to the public. This event could be a one night show sometime in mid-March, celebrating the achievement of the students. 

Specifics: We would need thirty interested students (especially those interested specifically in the arts) to participate in two half day workshops in groups of ten. In four hours we would cover background, brainstorming, discussion of symbols and, for the last two hours, drawing our symbols of change. In between the groups would be assigned some light, creative, design based homework, before finishing in the second four hour session at a later date. Each student will have two large sheets of paper (approx. 20”-30”) provided by me on which to explore these symbols with pencil and charcoal. We will be using erasers extensively as a way of changing their symbols, and as a practical joke about making changes. These drawings will then be taken back to my studio and painted. There is an opportunity to facilitate up to three dedicated students to assist as apprentices in the project in helping with documentation, paintmaking (since they will be painted in home-made watercolor), and some of the painting process.

E.A.M. VII

Environmental Arts Mentoring Seven:

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This week began with quick warm up portraits, followed by a wander into an odd landscape in which we built a fort. full of rabbits, this little hillock is hidden from view by a pile of construction debris. Such an odd mixture of tree of heaven, resprouted stumps of manitoba maple from the culling of the hill in 2010, and pieces of broken elm pinning down grapevine in arbors. Bricks of all variety, from a century of experimentation, litter the thawing ground, and as we throw some horizontals between crotches in trees, a loose woven wall constructs the idea of shelter.
Near the end we set out to make our first, of many, public works….a portrait of burdock. So beautiful how different the three drawings are, mixed together in chalk on the wall, fading out as the spring rains come….

Kitkooli-1998-First Nation’s Outdoor Classroom-Double Iron Farm-Salmon Arm, BC

built 15 years ago with birch bark ties.
so many of these structures include this tunnel which traps cold air when covered on both ends by animal hide
though when we built another one in kelowna illegally on college grounds, the archeology department was called in
they were asked to asses whether the structure was traditional in origin, because they wanted to demolish it.
the professor i met with said that the procolonial design had only the entrance from the roof,
down a long notched pole, but then some white folks said it was improper for women to enter this way, with the skirts they were then forced to wear
and a women and children’s entrance was adapted.
i question the simplicity of this story, that the design of structures was imposed, especially as this cold air tunnel, as in an igloo, seems to have other practical value.
regardless the structure we built without permission at okanagan university college, on grounds that have now become new dorms, was slated to be destroyed, but they could not remove the poles with an excavator, because it would fall into the pit
so this skeleton of our structure remained, and i have scoured the grounds trying to find its footprint
as i also try and visit this first example of a kitkooli that i built with 8 first nations youth when i was 15 years old,
and see how time tells on this structure which i have seen reflected in structures and programs i have built in toronto
finding each tie of birch bark, which we soaked for a week tied down in a pond
are still in place and holding after a decade and a half
and represent, after the structures i built today in the urban landscape lasting for one or two years before being demolished, a culture which builds learning that lasts and honors the product of that learning.
Glen Jollymore and John Sayers facilitated the building of these traditional structures, integrated with teachings and tasks associated with creating this First Nation’s 12 outdoor classroom-integrating place based learning, an interpretive center into the high school curriculum in salmon arm senior secondary. i was privileged to be able to be apprenticed to these amazing mentors, and invited as the only non-native youth in the first year of creating the interpretive center. lately i’ve been put in a similar position, to teach natural crafts and techniques to draw youth into connection with the urban wilds of toronto. as i try and frame what behavior and cuture was so subtly taught to me when i was 15, in order to pass on the benefit of this knowledge, i have an expanded sense of respect and gratitude for glen and john, and the center they created on the property of double iron ranch, near Salmon Arm, b.c.

huh, i just remembered that Glen passed on a film of russian teens hearing songs and stories with first nations youth at the interpretive center (i will edit and upload the film next month). The project has grown to include these kinds of healthy cross cultural sharing ceremonies, and it feels very much like a spiritual center, or pilgrimage site, for my work in toronto, running strong in an oddly normal small town in bc.

environmental arts mentoring IV

env arts IV15 minute one line drawing.

trying to keep the pencil in contact with the paper for a full ten minutes is an exercise in physical muscle development and focus. when applied to patterns in detailed plant forms, it can border on meditation.

we laughed aloud at the alarm signifying ten minutes had passed, and all agreed to do another five. all of a sudden the timeline created motivation to complete the drawing.

seeing in the final seconds, as if it was some kind of test, the cedar transform into a lizard, i was reminded of the scales of turtles and reptiles. we discussed the form and pattern of scales, and what possible link this could draw between evergreen trees and lizards…

 

Inverted Don

a process for getting a new perspective on works in progress. the downside is that often i like the inverted images better.

Making Tracks.

Every step taken, whether along the long road in relationship between people and nature, out on a wander through the hills, or retracing previous industry in the don valley, leave tracks that can be measured. Censored only by the ability to pay attention, tracks yield infinite minute detail revealing the form, habit and personality of every creature who sets foot on land.

a collection of symbols describing a map on the don river valley in toronto.
30″ x 40″ acrylic on canvas
2′ x 3′ acrylic on canvas, 2014
thriving tension of the don river valley, in toronto
which tracks do you recognize?

mapping ‘mud creek watershed’

2014, 2'x4', ink, acrylic, hand made sumac ink and silkscreen on canvas.
2014, 2’x4′, ink, acrylic, hand made sumac ink and silkscreen on canvas.

this painting (captured with a horrid tiny broken phone camera) depicts the ‘don valley brickworks park’ which encompasses the “Weston Family Quarry Garden” or the quarry restoration by the T.R.C.A., and “Evergreen Brick Works” on the redeveloped industrial pad.

mud creek is the stream which trickles its way down from mount pleasant cemetery, crossing under the belt-line trail (built atop of a 50’s railway built through the valley) to terminate in the ponds. mud creek was diverted once for use in brick production, again to make way for the railway, once more when the trail was leveled out of the railway, and finally 10-12 years ago when the trca began the pond restoration. giant crack willow have swelled ambitiously along the lower stretches of mud creek, sucking up the abundance of nutrients washed down from human activity in rosedale. crack willow do send out clusters of showy seed into the wind, but they have a more obnoxious method of propagation: they replant themselves. many species do this obviously, but on certain slopes you can trace the evidence of successive generations of willow or apple, growing to a certain size and then dropping significant branches downhill/downstream where they root quickly back into the ground. moving upstream, or towards the top of the map, there is a stout bunching of oak, in a branching stem pattern suggestive of past harvesting, which has fallen over a large pool of oddly blue/green water, where mud creek emerges from its subterranean adventures in a spiral steel pipe. where mud creek merges through the successive ponds, down under an electrical building (oddly) before being divided in two and into the Don river i have seen giant prehistoric looking snapping turtles with all kinds of growth on its back, beavers, muscrat and countless other wild signs of regeneration.

when first approaching the capacity for the ‘don valley brickworks park’ to fuel educational activities by the charity which redeveloped the site, Evergreen, we realized the experience and learning gained by kids in our first experimental programs needed a way to be recorded. the first foray into mapping the park was carried out through google map, foot, and historical sources. hilariously we found that a pond indicated on public maps was actually a shadow cast by a hill on the google map. many such intricate crossroads between the published perception of the shape of the park and its reality when walked through. this silkscreen map then was mounted on paper and used to record the significant sightings and experiences of kids in the first green city adventure camp at the brickworks. mapping mud creek Green City Adventure camp, last day of first session from these initial mapping exercises, time was taken to reflect upon the most appropriate materials and venue for recording this ‘dirt time’ in nature, and displaying it to the public. eventually, a year or so later, the ‘Natural History Emporium of Mystery’ was installed near the boundary between Evergreen Brick Works and the Weston Family Quarry Garden. The Emporium features the same map lines sandblasted into an old schoolhouse slate for use with chalk, and a nature museum display mounted on an old 21′ heritage metal lathe from the brickworks. see the emporium here.

the painting pictured is one more iteration of interpreting the ‘don valley brickworks park’, trying to trace trough time the meandering of mud creek and its many inhabitants.

‘elements of green design’ – four films from Evergreen Brick Works green design exhibit 2010-2012.

it is a bit odd to compress the four films into one frame, when originally they were mounted separately 1 1/2′ apart. some of the audio which served to fill the space and compliment the busy flow through of traffic in the ground floor hallway of the center for green cities, now are competing in this 9 minute film. the footage includes years of environmental documentary footage, with compelling statements by key green leaders in toronto (the founders of auto-share and bullfrog power….) as well as architects and designers involved in the evergreen brickworks project.

see  http://ebw.evergreen.ca/about/green-design

and http://ebw.evergreen.ca/whats-here/centre-for-green-cities

Winter Solstice Basketry

Grown on the site of Evergreen Brickworks since its opening in 2010 from plants which regenerate annually and are cut late in the spring. the red osier dogwood is an important food source for birds and the black willow can grow up to 12′ a year. Both are native species are planted to begin natural restoration of the the five acre redeveloped industrial pad.
Often these plantings are originally grown in nurseries who focus on maximum yield since plant growth is tied to profit, and so they are flooded with fertilizers. These are then planted out, and the odd original shape obtained by the greenhouse growth of the plant stays with it as it matures, and therefore the shape of this plant as we now recognize it is misleading. dogwoods and willows have evolved to be stimulated by cutting/burning especially when the leaves have fallen and the energy of the plant is stored under the snow, in its roots. the form of a coppice stump, as it grows straight long shoots, is a beautiful thing to behold. often trimmed by beaver and muskrat, these long shoots are ideal material for basketry, and so are a living free renewable resource, who’s value can be added to immensely when planted close to an environmental center like the Evergreen Brick Works has become.

see the video of youth harvesting the black willow:

by planting species which have the highest yield of environmental and economic functions, we can work towards rekindling understanding of the role of ‘coppice’ plants and trees in responsible urban business practices of the future.
through experimentation in the pilot brickworks artist residency program, the dogwood and willow baskets will annually be available for sale in the Evergreen Garden Market for the holiday season, under the name: Winter Solstice Basketry.