PARK(ing) Day 2012

PARK(ing) Day 2012 was a success!

The location was mildly terrifying with the bus barrelling toward the red light just behind us, but the Commercial Drive-ians walking to the Skytrain at 8'oclock in the morning were more than happy to spin the twister dial for us.

It's a simple and fun concept to turn parking spaces into public spaces. We only had one car attempt to pull in to our spot and were only told that we were crazy twice.

Second Waltz

For the series, view here: http://www.youtube.com/user/melaniekuxdorf?feature=watch#p/a/u/0/FZDsvJSGP64

Post-Olympics Residue

Parking Day 2010

Urban Exploration

The view out of the storm sewer, curiously devoid of any chicanerie to keep animals and people out...

Baffles cast into the concrete sections slow current... and hide rats?

About two-thirds in I discover a rebar ladder.

There was one missing rung, but otherwise a very climbable system.

I looked out to the forest above through the grating at the top of the ladder.

Outside again I see a fish ladder in some disrepair.

Pile Up!

It was a coincidence that the Millenium Development just happened to be open on this day.

Bodypiles

The latest Behind Open Doors initiative is to pile up bodies. Bodypiles. It’s like graffiti using people.

Maybe I am being contrarian today: why does bodypile sound like a terrible hemorrhoidal affliction? Can we can it the Limpet Project or body barnacles or something? Urban mussels? Accretions, stalagmites, igneous humans?

Commercial Drive Car Free Festival

We had a hop on Car Free Day June 14th, here are pictures taken by Rachel Marcuse. There's a rumour Commercial Car Free will be an ongoing project on Sundays in the summer...

Little Mountain Housing

Wowie! Good turnout on Sunday. We had a great hop, albeit hot, at the Little Mountain Housing site. Nearly abandoned, save for two or three courageous holdouts still living in their apartments, this sad and tormented housing area was a site for veterans' housing in the 1950s and later a social housing tract governed by the province.

The sterile design is reminiscent of barracks. The architecture of the shed overpowers any sense of liveability. Despite this, people still called this place home - and for decades.

My vision has community gardens in between the buildings and main floor level retail and business co-ops on the edges. Little ateliers where social housing would dovetail with progressive skills and professional development models. Hiring out of the community and proceeds to be folded back into the neighbourhood.

Instead a developer bought the rights to build it up, with a market component and evicted residents. Now they are bankrupt and the public waits... There's a housing and homeless crisis in our city and Little Mountain is boarded up.

Hmmm.

HOP: SUNDAY MAY 31st 1pm

First hop of the Season!!
Little Mountain Housing Site: meet at the corner of Quebec St @35th Ave

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Quebec+St+and+35th+Ave+Vancouver&sll=49.238701,-123.099382&sspn=0.007159,0.014849&ie=UTF8&ll=49.238771,-123.099875&spn=0.007159,0.014849&z=16

Anybody is welcome to join us in our exploration of the Little Mountain Housing site. Plans will be discussed at the beginning of the hop and we will most likely use simple improvisational tools/games to interact with each other and the site. You are welcome to document, join in or just watch.

questions?: behindopendoors@gmail.com

JANE'S WALK 2009: Lot 26: Everything Began at Hastings

Join members of behind open doors arts collective in an exploration of the forgotten areas of Vancouver. With a keen attention to how Vancouver's stories are remembered, we'll explore the history of New Brighton Park. This park has a tumultuous history: once a Musqueam clam beach called Khanamoot, the land was sold for 50 bucks and dubbed "Hastings Townsite" -- where it became the leisure destination at the end of the stage coach road from New Westminster.

A trip to the Cannery Restaurant for tea will grant participants access to the restricted areas of the Vancouver Port. Those participants not interested in staying at the Cannery Restaurant can join co-hosts as they exit the surveillance area via the pedestrian overpass to Meditation Park at North Nanaimo and Wall Street.

Stay tuned for the walk info: http://www.thinkcity.ca/walksmay3

Jane's Walk Research

Research bike and walk today -- Lori and Caelan in attendance, also one very big bottle of beer. We rode along Wall Street to New Brighton Park. We then locked the bikes and walked/trespassed into Prince Rupert Fishing Coop Cannery. The result was to find a good place to pee after a very big bottle of beer and a bird carcass. We then were then able to get into the Port itself, under the pretense of going to the Cannery Restaurant. It was still closed. They serve brunch on Saturday and Sundays from 10am-2pm however and the decor is like a pirates' lair.

Now, we thought a potential Jane's Walk could meet at New Brighton Park and walk down Wall Street to the pedestrian overpass (that now is locked) that would lead to the Port and do a little movement there. We could then adjourn in the little park above this bridge for a picnic. We could advertise this performance for 12 noon to 1pm. (Just a suggestion). We could also meet in the next week or so for some development.

SUMMER 2009 HOP/EVENT SCHEDULE:

SUMMER 2009 HOP/EVENT SCHEDULE:

Jane's Walk:
Sunday May 3rd
11am-noon
Location TBA

Hop
Sunday May 31
1:00pm-2:30pm
Little Mountain Housing ghost site
Quebec St. @ 35th Ave

Hop
Sunday June 28
1:00pm-2:30pm
305 Alexander St @ Gore

Hop:
Sunday July 26
1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: Vancouver Public Library (by the stairs)

Hop:
Sunday August 23
1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: Beach Location TBA

Hop:
Sunday September 27
1:00pm-2:30pm
Location: TBA

falling on the ground is not always a winter sport

Sunday February 22,
11am 305 Alexander Street@Gore
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=305+Alexander+St+Vancouver&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

Here is a little background reading: http://fearlesscity.ca/news

Otherwise, there is no plan yet

LM

Documentation bike gang
Saturday May 17

Meet at Brittania Secondary School field at 5:30pm

Bring a bicycle and some means of documentation. I am planning on taking a bunch of photos of derelict buildings and starting some form of obituary buiding catalogue.

I would like to go to the Downtown/ Downtown eastside/False creek areas

see you there
email play@ bodac.ca if you have questions

Lori

Sunday November 11th

Upcoming Hop: (UPDATED!)

the stairs on the West Side at the school at the corner of 12th/Kingsway. 12th and Guelph (a couple blocks east of Kingsway)
10am-10:20 check in. hop until noon.

lost: call 604.773.2136

my new Sunday Service

Out of desperation I have sought that special something that makes it all worthwhile for me and I recognised that it is the public sphere, the local folks and my dance routines.
It will now become my Sunday morning ritual.
10am
location posted by Wednesday
-lori

last Sunday Oct. 21 was Vancouver Community College: Catherine Andersen, Mike Dowler, Lori MacDonald and Azam the Security guard

2007 season kick off

Day 1:
participants: Soressa, Mike, Karen, Chris, Jessica, Catherine, Lori, Rachel, Alana
witnesses: Julie
documentation: Rachel, super 8
Monsoon parking lot
gather. rules: minimum 3 people in the space. time limit: 12 minutes
source material: spider man's arm on the giant building on the South West corner. some discussion around whether this parking lot will become condominiums.
Lab:
2 groups, 1 block radius. choose your space-20 minutes then present.
group 1:
I was a participant in this score
alcove/entrance to old Soma which is now a closed building.
we placed the viewers in the entrance and used the limited vision scape to work with passing by. we found scraps in our wallet and each wrote some notes to give to the viewers to pass through the mail slot. ex. I hear with my ear, something that is high. please deliver to the old Soma mailslot.
group 2:
witness for this score
back alley betwen the parking lot and 10th/Broadway.
soressa's vocalizations coming from a machine hiding under her umbrella and under her jacket.
umbrellas being passed back and forth, cars continually passing through the alley, Catherine teetering on the sidewalk.
I missed any closing discussions
or ideas to carry forward to the next
-lori
collective member