Birthday card sent to my father in Sarpsborg, Norway, from my grandfather, Gunnar Thorsen, and fellow Norwegian soldiers (in German concentration camp) for my father’s 12th birthday Aug 8, 1942.
GUNNAR THORSEN
1897-1970
After graduation from school my Dad decided to join the army. Thereafter he ended up in the Norwegian Air Force where he quickly climbed to lieutenant. First he was stationed at Kjeller Airfield outside Oslo.
Not many knew that Gunnar was such a tough guy but there were many times he scared people by his authoritarian exterior. But he was always good to his family. He was my hero, even though sometimes he scared me too with his tough attitude.
– Roar Thorsen
Father, son, grandson Christmas 1958Gunnar (dad’s dad), my mom with my brother, Ruth (dad’s mom), Stina (mom’s mom), Axel (mom’s dad)Gunnar and his grandson 1958Ruth and her grandson
This past Sunday morning- hanging out on Vancouver Island, my 4 friends and I had a hankering to create sock pigs. There is such magic in sitting around the dining room table at my friends’ house, surrounded by crafting supplies creating. We laugh, we go deep, we eat, we drink coffee, we share time. It is a SAFE SPACE.
But why the sock pig specifically this time?
I am a big fan of looking at symbolism. It’s such a fun instigator of self-reflection.
The Pig Spirit Animal also symbolizes your ability to stand on your own two feet, weather the storm and come out even better than before. Pig does not allow for self-righteousness, but rather a quiet self-awareness that taps into ingenuity so you can turn on a dime without falling over.
When Pig roots around in your soul, it can be a sign that NOW is the time to move forward! Pigs never root while moving backwards – only forward. They have a nose for opportunity. Make the most of the landscape in front of you. If it is not yielding the nourishment you desire, move on – find another patch of ground to explore. [SOURCE]
Yes- MOVE FORWARD.
Rathtrevor Beach, Parksville, BC April 2, 2017 (Photo by Merv Glip)
“Justice, identity and belonging are central indicators of health and well-being. Founded on the ideal of a pluralistic society, Canada faces significant equity challenges in upholding the health and well-being of a diverse range of social groups.
This is particularly true for First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples, who face disproportionate challenges within Canada’s education, health, economic, environmental and justice systems. These institutional pillars tragically have failed to serve the Indigenous Peoples of this land, for by holding up the State, the strength of these institutional pillars has weakened the cultural and relational roots of ancient worldviews, wisdoms and traditional societies.
Through ceremony, public lectures and dialogue, this President’s Dream Colloquium will cultivate an ecology for “a new way forward.” The intention is to create a rich experience of knowledge mobilization, diverse community engagement and capacity building for a new vision. The colloquium is born out of our right to dream for the rights of future generations, and for us to reimagine and enact a new reality for them.
Confirmed Speakers
Chief Robert Joseph, OBC, Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada, and Special Advisor to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Chief Robert Joseph will be delivering the opening address on Thursday September 8, 2016, 3:30–5:30 pm. Please reserve your seats online.
Wab Kinew, MLA for Fort Rouge in Manitoba, author, musician, broadcaster, Aboriginal leader. Thursday, September 29, 7–9 pm in downtown Vancouver.Reservations will open soon.
Rupert Ross, QC, retired assistant Crown Attorney for the District of Kenora, Ontario, author, recipient of a National Prosecution Award for Humanitarianism. Thursday November 3, 2016, 3:30–5:30 pm. Please reserve your seats online.
John Borrows, PhD, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Law; Nexen Chair in Indigenous Leadership, University of Victoria. Thursday November 17, 2016, 3:30–5:30 pm. Please reserve your seats online.
Wade Davis, PhD, Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia. Thursday, November 24, 2016, 3:30–5:30 pm. Please reserve your seats online.
Check out Vancouver Sun:
Chief Dr. Robert Joseph, O.B.C. is a hereditary chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation near Alert Bay and a co-founder of Reconciliation Canada.HANDOUT/ PNG
“As a young man, Robert Joseph, one of the hereditary chiefs of the Gwawaenuk First Nation near Alert Bay, found himself in the depths of despair — until an epiphany changed his life. Today, he is a noted First Nations leader who co-founded Reconciliation Canada…” Read more: VANCOUVER SUN
As this is a wheatpaste project developed from my initial obsession (that began in 2012) with the street artist JR…
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I knew the Punky Lake project had to include photo portraits. Rick was THE PERFECT PHOTOGRAPHER for this purpose! He not only has a profound gift for the visual but also a demeanour that makes even the shyest participant at ease in front of the camera!
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He also has an ability to go with the flow! It was only Day 1 and we were all just getting to know each other, but Rick managed to take EXTRAORDINARY portraits of the participants and support staff. I am BLOWN AWAY by the beauty of these faces as captured by Rick.
I will let Rick explain:
“Sarah Jackman from The Punky Lake Wilderness Camp Society offered me the opportunity to photograph the Journey and Mind Mapping Art Camp with Kat Thorsen. My first task was to head out to the Old Training and Recreation Complex in Riske Creek and take portraits of all the youth and adults involved in the camp and have 8×10 prints made. The prints would then be cut out and become part of the mural project with in the gymnasium. Once I got there Kat had already got the group to all sketch pictures of raccoons and after lunch started teaching the group how to sketch anatomical hearts. These would all get incorporated in to the mural. Everyone was great, of course you get the few shy ones but we managed to get them in front of the camera.” – Rick Magnell
“Day 3 was where I brought out the 8×10’s to be wheatpasted on the mural and documented the rest of the day. The day concluded with a closing circle where everyone shared their thoughts about the art camp. Two of the youth were presented drums along with Kat who received a drum herself as thanks. Elder Gary finished the circle with a drumming song. Gary has some incredible stories, I did approach him to see if he would be interested in my Story project. Overall it was a great group and a great experience for myself to photograph. I appreciate the opportunity and it was great to meet Kat and everyone else involved in the project.” – Rick Magnell
… the power of paper and glue… – JR
Thank you Rick for making the art camp extra-special! I look forward to drawing all the participants from your photos!
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I want to thank and acknowledge the Toosey (Tl’esqox) and Tsihquot’in First Nations, Old School Training and Recreation Complex and Punky Lake Wilderness Camp Society (Sarah Jackman, Samantha Dick, Bruce Baptiste, Ann Guichon) for hosting the Summer 2016 Art Camp. I also want to thank and acknowledge the elders, the chef, the photographer, the chaperones, youth workers and the participants!
Part 5: Punky Lake Wilderness Camp Society Summer 2016 Art Camp Day 3- Celebration
Photo by Rick Magnell
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Sitting here in my lovely hotel room organizing supplies and reflecting on this week…
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It was the final day of the art camp today. It was Punky Lake Wilderness Campy Society’s first ever art camp and I could not be more honored to have been able to facilitate it for the past three days.
We started the day with a beautiful OWL story and song from Elder Gary- speaking of our need to LISTEN and LEARN from animals for they are hurting too. He spoke of animals, in particular owls as messengers. I then led an owl drawing session- I loved that youth and adults alike dove right in using the techniques I have been sharing with them for the past couple of days! FAST and VORACIOUS learners!
A team of students then pasted the rest of the drawings (wheatpasting is delicious fun!). We were joined by photographer Rick Magnell who delivered print outs of his extraordinary portraits of the participants (blog post on Rick and his photography next week).
We pasted the photos in the midst of all the beautiful drawings and after a lovely lunch, spent time in circle reflecting and thanking each other.
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I was gifted a most beautiful drum that I will cherish for the rest of my life. There are no words to suffice to describe its beauty.
Elder Gary who shared so many empowering prayers, stories and songs this week infused my drum with his healing energy:
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I have fallen in love with these beautiful people, their hearts, minds, spirits, traditions- in love with the stunning Chilcotin landscape on which we created so much art work and made so many lovely connections and new friendships.
I look forward to gifting them all with hand drawn portraits. <3
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I want to thank and acknowledge the Toosey (Tl’esqox) and Tsihquot’in First Nations, Old School Training and Recreation Complex and Punky Lake Wilderness Camp Society (Sarah Jackman, Samantha Dick, Bruce Baptiste, Ann Guichon) for hosting the Summer 2016 Art Camp. I also want to thank and acknowledge the chef, the photographer, the chaperones, youth workers and the participants!
Latest Inside Out Project prep at Intersections Media, Vancouver (March 2019)
What happens when a case is very old, when much of its physical evidence is deteriorated or destroyed, and its main players long deceased? How do we investigate?
For me it is all about the historical context.
When I work on Molly, I step into the 1940’s through books, research, primary sources. And I do it through collecting vintage items.
The objects are the context from which I draw clues.
Now how I find these objects is a magical process. Yes, I visit my favorite places like Salmagundi West in Gastown or Village Antique Mall in Fort Langley, but the objects themselves seem to choose me.
Can that be?
Do they hold clues?
Are they trying to tell me something?
Photos by Julian Bowers
The distinction between life and lifeless is a human construct. Every atom in this body existed before organic life emerged 4000 million years ago. Remember our childhood as minerals, as lava, as rocks? Rocks contain the potentiality to weave themselves into such stuff as this. We are the rocks dancing. Why do we look down on them with such a condescending air? It is they that are an immortal part of us.
Inside Out Project Summer 2015 was made possible by a generous grant from the Province of British Columbia – Ministry of Justice: Victim Services and Crime Prevention Division
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INSIDE OUT PROJECT- OWN YOUR JOURNEY: breaking the cycle of violence through creativity Activities Report
Location: Mountainside Secondary School, North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Instructors:
Ian Powell: photography, digital media
Kat Thorsen: therapeutic art
Erin Ross: animation
The Inside Out Project Summer 2015 was a three-week intensive arts-based program for youth ages 13-20. Using therapeutic art, photography and stop motion animation participants were taught skills in self-empowerment, peer-to-peer interaction, and how to make healthy, non-violent choices. The goal for the Inside Out Project was to help youth-at-risk address the root causes of violence (with a special focus on violence against women) through creative expression.
Arts-based prevention programs allow for alternative experiences of what life can be like, helping at-risk students discover their own talents and creative energy and providing opportunities to develop their inner resources and explore new options for the future. Using a rich and creative curriculum around the themes of violence prevention, self-actualization, empowerment and creativity– facilitators of the Inside Out Project encourage participants to own their journeys.
The Inside Out Project engages participants with the arts, allowing for successful experiences on which to build the resilience and psychological hardiness as well as providing tools to be able to better meet personal and community challenges and to make healthy, non-violent choices.
Between July 6 and July 24, 2015, 11 participants completed the three-week curriculum.
Week 1 Highlights
• Chalk Talk: How does violence affect how people live their lives?
• Photography introduction
• Vancouver Police Foundation Mounted Squad field trip
• Art journals
• Discussion and reflection on Shane Koyczan’s Ted Talk: To this day- for the bullied and the beautiful.
• #BESTYOUth Emotional Intelligence Workshop (with guest facilitator, Laura Mack)
• Celebration
LIFE SKILLS addressed during the three-week curriculum included:
o Anxiety tools
o Emotional intelligence
o Self-reflection
o Motivation
o Journaling
o Behavioral pattern recognition
o Teamwork
o Chalk talk
o Peer to peer counseling
o Project planning
o Mind mapping
o Interview skills
o Creative process and expression.
CHALK TALK defined:
Three groups of 3-4 students work on three sheets of large paper, silently writing on the topic: how does violence affect how people live their lives? Each group moves at regular intervals to each of the three sheets- adding their thoughts and reflections on existing work. A large group discussion follows. The discussion and subsequent key points serve as a starting point for the final group video project around the theme of violence prevention.
FINAL GROUP VIDEO PROJECT OUTLINE:
Title: Inside Out Project- Own Your Journey
Subtitle: Breaking the Cycle of Violence Through Creativity
Chalk Talk: footage and audio (participant interviews)
Participant Interview:
Like nothing mattered other than drugs. Honestly, I didn’t even care about myself. I didn’t care about what I did. I didn’t care about going to jail. I didn’t care about dying. I didn’t care about anything. I just cared about using. And that is not who I am. It’s crazy how different it made me, like, I don’t think I would recognize myself I saw myself on the street like that.
Well, like, I guess when I’m being creative, it lets me let out all my emotions and like everything that I’m thinking, just like, let me be crazy on a page or whatever… and like when I used heroin it would, like, take it into me again. It wouldn’t let it out. It would just shove it back down and make me feel better that way. Instead of expressing it. That’s why I think I should probably do more art.
The Inside Out Project run by Kat Thorsen, Erin Ross, and Ian Powell this July truly changed my life. Two days before the program started I lost a friend to a heroin overdose. I could have chosen to fall back into my own heroin addiction but the Inside Out Project helped me stay strong throughout this hard time in my life. Honestly, I don’t think I would have made it through without the love, support and whole-hearted care everyone in the program gave me. The Inside Out Project saved me from myself. It saved my life. – Miko
PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS:
• Vancouver Police Department Mounted Squad field trip: tour with Cst. Darcy Henkel, discussion on violence prevention and use of horses, as well as photo essay opportunities. PHOTO ESSAY LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAE1F99nQXM
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• Operation Sock Monkey (OSM) craftivism workshop: OSM is a volunteer-run initiative in support of humanitarian organizations that provide laughter, hope and healing to communities around the world affected by disease, disaster and social/political turmoil.
• #BESTYOUth- Growing Together (ViRTUS /TELUS ®): emotional intelligence workshop with guest facilitator Laura Mack.
Key learnings from #BESTYOUth:
o Get to know your best self
o You always have a choice
o Your values are your inner GPS
o You can learn how not to snap
A SMALL SAMPLING OF PROGRAM MOMENTS:
Wow- even though I KNOW, from years of experience, that art heals, art builds connections and art saves lives- experiencing it again and again never ceases to amaze me. I just completed a three week intensive with 11 amazing youth. (I am so honored to have worked with you all!) It takes a lot of courage to dig deep and these 11 youth certainly did that. Watching them develop and form connections in these past three weeks has certainly been a highlight in my career as therapeutic art facilitator. [Special mention to Miko Philip for bravely sharing her personal story on which we could build our creative expression.] Here is their final project video on the theme of “breaking the cycle of violence through creativity.” Huge thank you’s as well to Ian Powell,Erin Ross for developing and facilitating this program with me. And thank you’s to Lenore Kane and Laura Mack for adding significant enrichment to it. – Katarina Thorsen, July 24, 2015
I am making available 10 hand-embroidered prints entitled Who is it that can tell me who I am?featuring an original image from my graphic novel, Molly.
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The print captures the moment a crow, the magician of the forest, adorned by a child’s skull as a crown, looks, with intense curiosity, into Lost Lagoon (Stanley Park).
The reflection in the pool features Jocelyn Louise as Molly. (Photographed by Rick Legal).
The imagery in the graphic novel will include drawing, embroidery, photography, collage. Birds are often included to reflect the core theme/core value of the book: freedom.
“Crime Scene, 1947” (in progress)
To purchase a hand-embroidered numbered and signed print (measuring approximately 6″ x 8″):
Email transfer $28 CAD ($22 USD) to britakatarina@gmail (include your mailing address)
[Allow two weeks for delivery]
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KING LEAR
Who is it that can tell me who I am?
FOOL
Lear’s shadow.
INSIDE OUT PROJECT: OWN YOUR JOURNEY- Breaking the cycle of violence through creativity
Inside Out Project – Own Your Journey SUMMER 2015is a three week intensive arts-based program running out of Mountainside Secondary School (July 6-24, 2015) for youth ages 13-20 that uses the vehicles of therapeutic art, photography and stop motion animation to teach life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer to peer interaction, community connections and by providing tools to make healthy, non-violent choices. The goal for Inside Out is to help students address the root causes of violence (with a special focus on violence against women) through creative expression. The program allows students to creatively reflect on self, to work in a team and to experience critical engagement and transformative changes that shift their attitudes and behaviors in order to prevent violence. Three experienced facilitators (Ian Powell, Erin Ross, Kat Thorsen) provide instruction and support.
A huge thank you to VPD horse trainer, Darcy Henkel, for hosting and to all the horses for putting up with our curiosity and cameras! Stay tuned for a photo essay by our students.
The following photos from today’s visit by photographer/filmmaker, Jennifer Chow, who joined us today:
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Check out Jennifer Chow’s short film about the VPD Mounted Unit:
INSIDE OUT PROJECT: OWN YOUR JOURNEY- Breaking the cycle of violence through creativity
Inside Out Project – Own Your Journey SUMMER 2015is a three week intensive arts-based program running out of Mountainside Secondary School (July 6-24, 2015) for youth ages 13-20 that uses the vehicles of therapeutic art, photography and stop motion animation to teach life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer to peer interaction, community connections and by providing tools to make healthy, non-violent choices. The goal for Inside Out is to help students address the root causes of violence (with a special focus on violence against women) through creative expression. The program allows students to creatively reflect on self, to work in a team and to experience critical engagement and transformative changes that shift their attitudes and behaviors in order to prevent violence. Three experienced facilitators (Ian Powell, Erin Ross, Kat Thorsen) provide instruction and support.
The program begins with a focus on self, moves into teamwork and ultimately into community.
Week 1: SELF
Photography, therapeutic art, journaling, drawing to focus on self-regulation and creative process
Week 2: TEAM
Team building, project planning, stop motion animation, self and group-directed learning
Week 3: COMMUNITY
Project completion, self-evaluation, community outreach, presentation and celebration
An extension of the Inside Out Project Own Your Journey at Mountainside Secondary 2014-2015, the animation portion- spearheaded by my colleague and dear friend, Ian Powell- engaged students in a deep and meaningful way. Ian chose The Red Tree by Shaun Tan as the vehicle to help students address social and emotional intelligence, self-reflection and empowerment as well as project planning and passion-based learning. Students worked individually or in small groups to interpret and animate each page of the dark and remarkable book:
The Red Tree is a story without any particular narrative; a series of distinct imaginary worlds as self-contained images which invite readers to draw their own meaning in the absence of any written explanation. As a concept, the book is inspired by the impulse of children and adults alike to describe feelings using metaphor – monsters, storms, sunshine, rainbows and so on. Moving beyond cliché, I sought painted images that might further explore the expressive possibilities of this kind of shared imagination, which could be at once strange and familiar. A nameless young girl appears in every picture, a stand-in for ourselves; she passes helplessly through many dark moments, yet ultimately finds something hopeful at the end of her journey. Shaun Tan – source
Congratulations to all who worked on the piece. Your interpretations are breathtaking and your dedication to the project an inspiration!
Shaun Tan’s The Red Tree, Mountainside Secondary School 2015:
I think I’ll play with this metaphor and fix up my fave cardigan. Perhaps, as I fix it with fancy string and buttons, I’ll feel like I’m fixing myself.
On September 30, 2014, I began my collaboration with Ian Powell at Mountainside Secondary on the INSIDE OUT PROJECT- OWN YOUR JOURNEY, inspired by my hero JR:
My portrait of JR, China Marker on Newsprint, pasted in Gastown in 2014
MOUNTAINSIDE SECONDARY: Inside Out Project: Own Your Journey
Youth-run initiative using the vehicle of portrait photography and street art to learn life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer to peer interaction and community connections.
THEMES: Connection and Empowerment
As they work through the curriculum, the students gain valuable life and transferable skills.
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We use TED TALKS to inspire and to induce dialogue and self-reflection around the theme.
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Student journal entry
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When you try to be yourself there will be people who will put you down. You grow up looking up to people and not knowing who you are and being told what to do and what not to do. We all deal with pain in different ways- some do it in a sad way. Having to live in a world where judging a person we don’t even know is a good way to make yourself feel better, or even judging a person makes ‘cool.’ But in the end we are all on this earth for a reason ans we should all love ourselves the way we are and respect all of our good qualities and get rid of all the negative, cruelty thoughts. – student journal entry
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Our unique angle is that this is a youth run project: by addressing their own vulnerability as they connect wtih people/community through portrait photography, the youth feel empowered— and, in turn— empower the subject to feel comfortable being vulnerable in front of the camera!
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Behind-the-scenes documentary by Parmida Afsahi:
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The curriculum includes photography, rubrics, journaling, mindmapping, project planning, visual art, wheatpasting, discussions, field trips, group work and self-directed studies from animation to community projects.
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The project continues until the end of April.
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The plan is for the project to culminate in a large outdoor installation in the Spring.
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The beauty of an art project is that you cannot always measure the impact, but one day it can become clear.
– JR
Can art change the world? Maybe… we should change the question: Can art change people’s lives? – JR
Congratulations Caddy Pattison on an incredible presentation on Feb 10, 2015 in front of 150 teachers #SD44 on your #walkforwater project benefitting KYT FOUNDATION and thank you Parmida Afsahi for documenting the event and to my colleague Ian Powell.
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STAY TUNED FOR INCREDIBLE NEWS RE: INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH PROJECTS AND GLORIOUS ANIMATIONS!
Youth-run initiative using the vehicle of portrait photography and street art to learn life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer to peer interaction and community connections.
THEMES: Connection and Empowerment
CO-FACILITATORS: IAN POWELL, KAT THORSEN
Pilot Project: September 30, 2014- October 30, 2014
INSPIRED BY OUR HERO, STREET ARTIST JR:
The beauty of an art project is that you cannot always measure the impact, but one day it can become clear.
– JR
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We just completed a school photo shoot and will be looking at the images tomorrow. It’s been a glorious few weeks. Creating art pieces, diving into photography, exploring self-empowerment, watching and discussing pertinent TED Talks, journaling, bonding, connecting. The core team will now explore the option of creating a documentary about the project as we hope to build the program throughout the year.
Art is not supposed to change the world, to change practical things, but to change perceptions. Art can change the way we see the world. Art can create an analogy. – JR
The power of paper and glue… – JR
Can art change the world? Maybe… we should change the question: Can art change people’s lives? – JR
Art is not meant to change the world, but when you see people interacting, when you see an impact on their lives, then I guess in a smaller way, this is changing the world. So, that’s what I believe in. That’s why I’m into creating more and more interactions. – JR
I am so excited to be part of this incredible project inspired by my hero JR:
MOUNTAINSIDE SECONDARY: Inside Out Project: Own Your Journey
Youth-run initiative using the vehicle of portrait photography and street art to learn life and transferable skills while developing self-empowerment, peer to peer interaction and community connections.
THEMES: Connection and Empowerment
CO-FACILITATORS: IAN POWELL, KAT THORSEN
Pilot Project: September 30, 2014- October 30, 2014
Mountainside Secondary School (MSS) is the North Vancouver School Districts smallest and newest secondary school, meeting the Ministry of Education requirements for funding as an Alternative School (BCEDAlternate Program Policy).
MSS functions as part of the continuum of social/emotional/behavioural supports that are available to all students at all secondary schools in the NVSD, and targets students in Grades 9-12 (ages 14-19).
MSS aims to allow for varied and alternate pathways to graduation (80 credit or Adult) or School Completion, and beyond.
MSS Core Values
Mutual respect
Genuine relationships
Flexibility
Choice
Individual accountability
Community Connections
TEST SHOOT, INTERSECTIONS MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUTH SOCIETY, 2013-2014 (including Mountainside students/alumni)
As mentioned, we are part of a global art initiative founded by French street artist JR, winner of the 2011 Ted Talk Prize. Our project is called: The Inside Out Project- Own Your Journey.
As they work through the curriculum, the students will be gaining some valuable life and transferable skills.
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We use TED TALKS to inspire and to induce dialogue and self-reflection around the theme.
Student journal entry
When you try to be yourself there will be people who will put you down. You grow up looking up to people and not knowing who you are and being told what to do and what not to do. We all deal with pain in different ways- some do it in a sad way. Having to live in a world where judging a person we don’t even know is a good way to make yourself feel better, or even judging a person makes ‘cool.’ But in the end we are all on this earth for a reason ans we should all love ourselves the way we are and respect all of our good qualities and get rid of all the negative, cruelty thoughts. – student journal entry
We are registering our project with JR’s site on Tuesday! And our unique angle is that it is a youth run project and that by addressing their own vulnerability by connecting w people/community through portrait photography, the youth, in turn, empower the subject to feel comfortable being vulnerable in front of the camera!
The project will culminate in a large outdoor installation in the Spring. A documentary and a behind the scenes short film will also be produced!
Co-facilitator Ian Powell and his dog, Finnegan!
STAY TUNED FOR OUR FUNDRAISER TO HELP US WITH PRINTING COSTS AND PROGRAM EXPANSION!!!
There is no end to the inspiration I get from looking at vintage photographs- through immersion comes awakened imagination.
The central characters in my graphic novel are real people but as I am doing an artistic interpretation of real events, I revel in the freedom to flesh out the central characters using old photos as a starting point.
There is no harm in imposing appearance and character on the brothers and sisters, so long as we regard this as a mere device for solidifying Will’s physical background. We are entitled to visualize him as a boy eating, singing and sleeping in the house on Henley Street, and its convenient to have him surrounded by something thicker than swathes of ectoplasm with name-tags.
Inspiration taken from the photographs of Vivian Maier
9:09 in the morning, the taste of liquor and cigarettes, no police, no lovers, walking the streets, this poem, this city, closing its doors, barricaded, almost empty, mournful without tears, aging without pity, the hardrock mountains, the ocean like a lavender flame, a moon destitute of greatness, a small music from broken windows …
a poem is a city, a poem is a nation, a poem is the world …
Does context change the way your interpret an image? A piece of art?
Does knowing whether or not the artist is a man or woman affect the way you read the image? Is it important to know how the artist self-identifies? Does it matter if she was an alcoholic? If he was a bastard? If they are schizophrenic? Poor? Rich? Respected? Neglected? Educated? Outsider?
How do you interpret the image above? For me there is such duality:
Frida is relaxed and happy, but if we know her story, we know her anguish and physical pain. So much wrapped in her mystery. Frida is so distinct and so grounded in her identity as an artist and Mexican. Her friend appears as a woman of her time. The photo is beautiful as an image unto itself. But even more beautiful to me as I see my heroine [whose imagery inspires my art significantly] in this moment of honesty.
A most interesting test re: context occurred during an art event in March 2011. I exhibited a painting of a middle aged farmer climbing over a fence with the hint of pigs in the foreground. I did not title the piece on purpose. I received positive feedback. It looks so Scandinavian. So peaceful and rustic. I divulged after awhile that the piece was indeed a portrait of Robert “Willy” Pickton, a pig farmer and serial killer. The horror was evident in the viewer. And it opened interesting dialogue.
In 2003, I experimented with a class of Grade 7’s regarding context and interpretation. I gave my friend/the Grade 7 teacher, Michele Lavery, the following image taken by a friend of mine:
Photo by Willem de Mooy
On purpose, I asked her not to explain who my friend was. The following questions were given to the students:
Title
Describe
Why do you think the photographer took the picture?
What feelings does the picture bring up for you?
Who do you think the photographer might be?
Why might they may have taken that picture?
HERE ARE SOME OF THE RESPONSES:
Title
The Window
Broken Pain
Baseball
Shattered Window
Clouds
Chipped Shattered
Glistening of the Sun
Broken Dreams
Broken Glass
Modern Art Shattered
Broken View
Broken Sunshine
Bandits
The most popular title: Broken Window
Describe
Window panes with bullet holes in them
It’s a picture looking outside to the sky
A window that’s broken
No colour, hard to understand
Broken stained glass where sun comes in
Seems old-fashioned, kind of ugly, sort of abstract, looks like someone was shot
A window, every pain [sic] is broken/shattered
Dark, eery
Sunny, someone looking through a window
It shows the cruelty of the world in a broken window
Someone looking out of a window at a town. It’s very dark
Plain
Dreary, sad, you’re concealed
Why do you think the photographer took the picture?
It’s pretty outside
Maybe to reflect his/her feelings
Maybe because his/her heart was broken
It symbolizes something
It’s original and interesting
Something happened in his life
Not like any other picture
It’s different and sad
He or she likes the look of broken windows
He was depressed
Symbolism
What feelings does the picture bring up for you?
Grief, sadness
Cold, darkness
Sad, miserable
Like the world has no colour
A broken soul or heart (the heart is the window of the soul)
Sad, lonely, depressed
Nothing really
Like there is something missing
A boring old day
Holy
The cruelty of the world
Broken dreams
Not much, I don’t think it’s so great
Poverty. Repair needed. Maybe the house is on fire.
Who do you think the photographer might be?
Younger, female
Old, sad, lonely
Young person
Sad
Old person
Middle aged person who is sad. He lost someone
Middle aged person
Old lonely man
Some old guy
Older person who knows about art
The photographer is maybe a smart middle-aged man
An older person who seems more wiser
Young, sad, lonely
Young woman
Why might they have taken that picture?
A broken heart, something missing in his life
He was tired of life, the darkness
He wanted to show his feelings
Sadness, alone
May have had a loss of some kind that made him want to commit suicide
His life was broken, not worth living anymore
That he was going to kill himself
Might have brought up feelings
As I watch my life break
Feels like he has no privacy
His life was in ruins
Life isn’t worth anything and so it’s wrecked and my heart is broken
He feels shattered, afraid, useless
Needs to release emotion
He smashed the window because he was mad
He had a boring life and he might have felt left out
—
It fascinates me to read the responses. My friend, an extraordinary soul and talented artist, took his life at age 23 in 1988.
As I watch my nephew taking his steps towards his independence, I am struck with the battle we all struggle with between holding on and letting go.
Just by watching Henrik, I find a metaphor for those battles inside myself.
From the simple holding on to the pinky finger to feel safe- to letting go of the perceived safety net and taking those steps…
To finding simple treasures and admiring them for a moment, enjoying the lift the experience gives, then flinging them back…
To voraciously holding on, ingesting all that life has to offer, feeling grounded in the holding on to the known, seeking more by grabbing more, collecting no matter what or how…
To just observing life and death and its wonders, allowing, flying, being light…
To revisiting and redoing, reassessing, keeping, holding, allowing…
—
