CONCRETE GARDENS

Alanna Thain, Stamatia Portanova, Erin Manning, Troy Rhoades

1. Planting the Cracks – As a continuation of the Process Seed Bank why not drop seeds of smallers versitile plants or flowers in the cracks of the pavement or concrete. Nature does this to these spaces anyway. How many times have you seem “weeds” growing in the cracks of the sidewalk. Nature always finds a way to grow even in the most harshes of urban planning. Maybe by planting colourful flowers and plants as a trace of our activities that day will activate a more diverse use of these spaces.
2. Re-use the Refuse – During the event, I propose that we collect all the refuse and garbage that is on the site, whether it is plastic (which is always present), organic material, or other man-made things and then use this as either markers of the space or to construct walking paths. I think there can be a lot more creative uses for this as well but this is just a start. I think we should use what is found at the sites as well as whatever we bring to it. The collection and redistribution of the refuse/garbage on the site, again, will leave a trace of our activites.
3. Tracks and Paths – Every empty lots is used as a space to “cut” through. People walk across these “empty” spaces to save time from walking or biking on the sidewalks and streets we are supposed to follow. Before we set up anything on the sites we choose I think uncovering these time-saving paths (either by human or animal) would be interesting to highlight as part of our garden because it demonsrtates how this space is occupied and used and shows that there is a presence in these spaces (all be it a minimal one). Also, by highighting these paths it shows the inginuity the community has for circumventing the “proper” striated pathways the city/state has built for our use and demonstrates that these city-pathways are not always the most direct of conveinent for a communities needs. Trace an action: Whatever action that will take place within the space, every participant could have a pair of “chalk-filled shoe attachments” that will leave a trace of their passage.

3 sites

1.sculpture garden (railway tracks and clark)
2.cement garden (across the street from café Olympico)
3.Viger park

Site events:

1. SCULPTURE GARDEN reuse the refuse – clean up the sculpture garden. Use all garbage for subsequent interventions> make mobiles, make paper, make costumes
2. CEMENT GARDEN make paper – invite passersby and coffee drinkers from St. Viateur. To make the paper, use the refuse and paper from recycling bins. Make a clothesline between the trees to hang mobiles (created by refuse) and to hang paper to dry. Find a way to create maps in the paper-making process (on the paper) that leads participants through the sculpture garden to the LoI molecule. Implant seeds into the paper according to categories (sunny paper, shady paper etc – seeds: sun > calendula, mullein, centauria, nigela, bergamot – Cracks:> portulaca, iceplant, thyme, mint) Instruct participants to plant these at the LoI molecule site but do not instruct them further about the site or their concept. Ask them to send back some information about their trajectory/process (via email, mail etc to concrete gardeners). Invite them to create mobiles for the sculpture garden site or to create new tracks through the garden.
3. VIGER PARK play blue-wall tag. Invite participants from LoI molecule as well as passersby. Send out blue invitations via Craigslist and Twitter (and by hand). Make blue capes for participants and offer to paint people blue (not whole bodies, but arms or faces etc). Video the tag game against the already existing blue wall. Allow people to play for as long as they want. Invite them to paint the site with moss graffiti if they no longer want to play. Make a video. This video will be produced via the blue-wall to erase all blue, creating a concrete garden of composing/decomposing bodies-in-movement.

Responsibilities:
1. Find seeds – Erin D. will document the seeds and suggest constellations for seed-paper. We will make seed-paper in advance of the molecule that our emissary will bring to the Ottawa molecule.
2. Find blue cloth – Erin M. already has blue parachute/kite making cloth. This can be used to make capes (if the LoI molecule is still making kites, perhaps an overlap can be made here?)
3. Check tone of blue wall – Troy will take a picture and we will make sure we have the right colour of blue for paint and cloth
4. Gather moss for moss graffiti
5. Make blue invitations

MOVEMENT PROFILE

M
9:30 breakfast at home
10:30 leave for school Mt Royal metro to McGill
11:30-1:30 class arts 230 mcgill
1:30-2:30 office arts w 35
2:30-3:30 class rphys 112
3:30-5 office
5-7 yoga moksha on st Laurent
7-7:30 walk from Laurier Station (on Boulevard St. Joseph) to Avenue Mont-Royal, through Rue Berri and Rue Pontiac, then on De Lanaudiere, and back to St. Joseph, n. 1024., or exercising at home
8-8.30 dinner at home
9-10 work at computer

T/Th
9:30 breakfast at home
10:30-1:30 work at home
1:30 lunch at home
2-7 work at home
7 exercising at home
8 dinner at home
Evening movies (cinema du parc, amc) theatre or danse shows, drinks (plan b, reservoir, sofitel)

W
9 coffee
10 leave for work via metro
10:30-12 office hours arts w 35
12-2:30 independent study in office
2:30-3:30 class rphys 112
3:30-5:30 office or downtown wanderings
5:30 ashtanga yoga belgo building downtown on Ste Catherine
8/8:30 head for home via metro or walking if the weather is fine passing through carre st louis

Friday
9:30 breakfast at home
10:30-1:30 work at home
2-7 work at home
8-9:30 swimming pool 2275 Boulevard St. Joseph, or walk between Boulevard St. Joseph and Mont-Royal, or exercise at home
Evening: out for dinner or drinks or movies until later that night

Saturday
Zzzzzzzzzzzz until noon
Food shopping on Mont-Royal or Laurier or “Milano” food store at Jean Talon
Lunch and relax at home
Dinner or drinks or movies with friends

Sunday
sleep until noon
self-pampering at home
telephone calls and facebook chatting
sometimes coffee in or out with friends
sometimes work
evening watching television (Italian TV film series)

Transport:

I have a car but never/ rarely drive: Green Honda civic hatchback (described by my friend as “Jade Shimmer” in colour, goes by the name “Booger”)
   
Mostly on foot, sometimes in metro (green and orange line, somtimes blue line), sadly never on horseback
   
Home address: 1024 Boulevard St. Joseph East, corner with Christophe Colomb