On the road again

Stories

2007-09-24T17:52:00.000-06:00

Viewers were able to post their experiences on a map in the exhibtion space.

Exhibtion at Eau Claire Market

2007-09-24T17:50:00.000-06:00

On the road again recreated in the centre court of the mall.

Regulating the Road

2007-09-24T17:46:00.000-06:00

They didn't say anything about mobilzed furniture...

Stephen Avenue

2007-09-24T17:44:00.000-06:00

Taking back public space along Stephen Avenue Mall.

The Former Site of The New Gallery

2007-09-24T17:33:00.000-06:00

The procession stops to witness the destruction of the former New Gallery. Mid way through demolition, you can see a single chair still sitting in the gallery space...

Eau Claire Market

2007-09-24T16:52:00.000-06:00

The procession passes through the Eau Claire neighbourhood where many homes were demolished in the 1980s to construct the mall in the background. The mall is now planned to be demolished in order to construct condominum towers.

Check out that bike/bed! We met its creator in the park and asked him to join us. Made for Burning Man, it even has an alarm clock on the handle bars.

First Steps

2007-09-24T16:48:00.000-06:00

New furniture drivers learn the quirks of their unique vehicles.

Ready To Go

2007-09-24T16:45:00.000-06:00

Our army of wheeled furniture in front of the pile of dirt that was once The Brick.

Starting Out

2007-09-24T16:39:00.001-06:00

Lovely participants were up bright and early to get on the road. Artist Tomas Jonsson describes the route.

Your Mental Map of Calgary...

2007-09-13T02:04:00.000-06:00

I was looking for a wine store in a neighborhood I hadn't visited in a few months. I knew there was one near by, at Market Mall, so off I went. When I arrived, I found a bank on the spot.

It wasn't that the wine store had been turned into a bank. The whole building had been torn down and replaced with one of a completely different size and shape.

It took me quite a few minutes to grasp this as I stood in front of the building. I thought I must have been mistaken, but I had grown up in the area, and I thought I knew it well. I asked friends and family and they assured me that I hadn't imagined the store.

With changes happening faster than we can absorb, what effect does a city like Calgary have on your mental map?

Have you gone looking for a something that no longer exists? Have you been startled by a building that seems to have popped up over night?

Home?

2007-09-13T02:03:00.000-06:00

How many times have you moved house in the past few years?

In the Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard noted that "The cheif benefit of the house (is that) the house shelters daydreaming, the house protects the dreamer, the house allows one to dream in peace."

What are the psychological consequences when your physical environment is in constant flux? How do you rebuild your home and your community with every move?

2007-09-13T00:54:00.001-06:00

We Want Your Stories!

2007-09-13T00:53:00.000-06:00

With Calgary's boom and bust cycle, our conscious history often seems very short. While doing research for On the road again, I found books detailing urban change in many cities across North America and Europe, but hardly any material about Calgary.

We must record our places and our histories before they are erased by bulldozers and new developments. Please contribute to this record by contributing your thoughts to the Facebook group. It can be anything - a rant, an impression, the favorite place you noticed because it was gone. Just write! I look forward to reading.
Jennifer

2007-08-17T00:43:00.001-06:00

2007-08-17T00:07:00.000-06:00

With Calgary's growth comes destruction. Whole buildings are demolished overnight, leaving only rubble that will soon be cleared for the next development. Apartment buildings are emptied of their tenants and turned into condominiums. Homelessness and virtual homelessness is at an all time high. Even small businesses and non-profit organizations are displaced as prices increase.

How do we absorb and adapt to this recurring cycle of displacement and transformation of urban form? How do we rebuild and maintain our homes, identities and communities when our physical environment is in constant flux?

On the road again is an attempt to create a new space where Calgarians can discuss these issues and create a record of their stories, memories and opinions. Please comment or post to this blog (no registration necessary). You can also email your contributions to: jennifer@housingaction.ca .