Reclaim The Streets

Dates: Friday, April 25, 2014, at 6:00 p.m., and Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m.

Location: Open Space, 510 Fort Street, 2nd floor 

Registration: Admission by donation

Schedule:

Friday, April 25 

6:00 p.m.             Reception

6:45 p.m.             Welcome

7:00 p.m.             Keynote: Interruptions by Barbara Cole 

Moving between streets, plazas, parks, industrial wastelands, and coastal waterways, this keynote lecture presents artists' projects that resist, interrupt, and reinvent. Whether through acts of resistance against agressive urbanization or "parting the seams of closed systems," artists are reinterpreting the ways in which our cities' public places are experienced.

Saturday, April 26

10:30-11:30 a.m.     Artist talk: Kika Thorne

11:30-11:45 p.m.     Presentation: Public/Art/Space

This presentation will summarize the findings of a UVic student-led research project on the geographies of public art in the Greater Victoria Region. Particular attention will be devoted to a discussion of different conceptions of "public space" and "public art," followed by a comparative analysis of the geographies of public art in the region, as well as contrasting viewpoints of public art among local artists and urban policy makers. 

Presenters: Alice Meilleur and Reuben Rose-Redwood

11:45-1:00 p.m.     Session 1: What We Talk About When We Talk About Public Space 

What is public space? Where does it start and where does it end? Who owns it? Who is allowed to use it and what kinds of activites are allowed? Is it self-organizing or can it be designed? This panel discussion unpacks our ideas about public space in order to reveal the complexities of this contested terrain. 

Participants: Kika Thorne, Reuben Rose-Redwood, Mowry Baden, and The Wayward School 

1:00-2:00 p.m.     Lunch

2:00-3:30 p.m.     Session 2: Making Space: Public Art and Youth Engagement 

In recent years, many artists have turned toward socially engaged and community-based art projects. These public works are predicated on a process of democratic dialogue and audience collaboration and are less concerned with a tangible end product. What are the ethics of socially engaged art? What is the artist's role in these community-based projects, and conversely, what is the role of the community? How can youth become engaged with claiming public space for their art practice? How do we determine the success of the project? How do we ensure youth are able to assert their "right to the city"? 

Moderator: Sue Donaldson

Participants: Sacha Ouellett, Hjalmer Wenstob, Will Weigler, and Katrina Thorsen

3:30-4:00 p.m.     Coffe break/screening: The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal directed by Matt McCormick 

4:00-4:30 p.m.     Screening: 100 Layers of Beige directed by Kay Gallivan and Zsofin Sheehy 

Local filmmakers Kay Gallivan (VIPIRG) and Zsofin Sheehy (Wandering Eye Media) will premiere their new documentary about the Tracks (Trackside Gallery). The documentary explores the conflicts that led to the end of one of Canada's largest graffiti walls. Rare footage of this mile-long mural space is combined with discussion on public space, gentrification, poverty, and policing. 

Check out the trailer: 100 Layers of Beige 

4:30-6:00 p.m.     Session 3: Between Sanctioned and Unsanctioned Art: Artists on the Street

Both sanctioned and unsanctioned public art respond to the urban environment, while also contributing to the creation of its visual cultures. However, both illegality and bureaucracy pose considerable barriers to artists engaging in public space. Medium, motiviation, and dissemination differentiate official public art projects from unofficial artistic interventions in public space. What is the difference between artistic trespass and vandalism? How does art invigorate public space? Who has the "right" to transform the city? How can the city, local businesses, and residents support a more diverse array of artworks in public space? 

Moderator: Tiffany Conklin

Participants: Cameron Kidd, Other (a.k.a. Troy Lovegates), Nichola Reddington,and Erika Heyrman 

6:00 p.m.             Closing Remarks 

Other Events:

Cameron Kidd Artist-in-Residence: This symposium marks the culmination of Cameron's ten-month artist residency at Open Space. Kidd will be collaborating with local artists, youth, and community organizations to paint a large-scale mural on the back wall of Open Space until the end of April. For more information: www.openspace.ca/CameronKidd

Pub(lic) Crawl: Join The Wayward School, AGGV educators, and Open Space on Saturday, April 12, at 3:00 p.m. for a freewheelin' appraisal of the public life of the city. For more information: www.openspace.ca/pubcrawl

What Not to Do: Do Not/Here bodies not allowed to consists of a  series of public performances by Serina Zapf and Justine Sawyer in the week leading up to the symposium. 

Monday, April 21, 3:00 p.m.: "The Caress" in front of the Empress Hotel, 721 Government Street 

Tuesday, April 22, 12:30 p.m.: "Bananas" at the Bay Centre, 1150 Douglas Street 

Wednesday, April 23, 8:30 a.m.: "Inactivity" on Yates and Douglas Streets

Thursday, April 24, 4:30 p.m.: "Tug-o-" beginning at Centennial Square 

Friday, April 25, 10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.: "Beautification" of Helmcken Alley in Bastion Square 

The artists would like to invite individuals to come witness and participate in these provocative gestures. Discomfort, laughter, anger, compassion, and confusion are encouraged! 

OuterSpace Gallery will be hosting an exhibition of drawings, paintings, and carvings by Other (a.k.a. Troy Lovegates). The mobile contemporary art gallery housed in a customized cube van will be parked outside of Open Space beside Helmcken Alley for the duration of the symposium. For more information:www.outerspacegallery.ca