performance, installation & land art, organisation communautaire, cours & ateliers, écologies urbaines & rurales, community outreach, classes & workshops, urban & rural ecologies.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
clarification
Hello all,
I'd first of all like to clear the air, because there are mis-impressions and mis-communications going around about an article written recently at Imagine (le) Mile End. The article is about Montréal police officers stopping our gardening events on private railway land last Sunday May 17th. See article here: http://imaginemileend.tumblr.com/. I did not write this article.
I want to clarify that I never made assumptions about borough mayor Helen Fotopulos calling in the cops and have always enjoyed our interactions. I have been thrilled thus far with her support of my project. I appreciate her support and commitment to the greening of the borough. It has always been my intention to work cooperatively with her. I hope we can do this in the future, as there are some super inspired ideas simmering in our neighborhood at the moment. If she is willing to come out to our events, (which has indeed expressed interest in) then that would be wonderful.
Marke (of http://imaginemileend.tumblr.com) is entitled to his opinions, and has every right to express himself over the touchy and mysterious occurrence of Sunday. I am enjoying the abundance of discussion occurring over this topic.
We are in the process of seeing what we are and aren't allowed to do on CP land in the coming week. Plans for a small festival are shaping up for Saturday June 20th from 1pm-11pm. It is shaping up to be an amazing day! We will need help co-creating it please, so get in touch w Emily asap. A calendar with 2009 events will be up on my site shortly.
A site-specific earthwork located in the Maguire Meadow, one of the last undeveloped pieces of land in the Plateau Mont Royal. Pour plus d'infos...
novembre 2007
juin 2008
mai 2009
may 2009
july 2009
avril 2010
juin 2010
june 2011
février 2012
august 2012
Sprout Out Loud!
Sprout Out Loud! is a gardener's ensemble that seeks to support and develop the relationship between residents and the land around them. The project seeks to stimulate citizen engagement and provoke dialogue around the importance of the commons through workshops, community events and presentations.
- Draw attention to the city's plans and provoke dialogue about how the space was to be developed (it worked :)
- Engage with the meadow creatively and document how people use and care about this space (see our book with Artefatica).
- Reclaim the commons, activate unused urban spaces, re-enchant the public with the natural world and living systems of the urban core.
- Empower people and invite others to plant similar ideas in their own environments where needed.
photo Fred Froument
le Pouvoir Aux Pousses!
Le Pouvoir aux Pousses est une équipe bourgeonnante de jardiniers qui cherchent à appuyer et développer les relations entre les résidents et la terre autour d’eux.
Ce projet vise à:
- Avoir un rapport créatif avec le champs et en documenter l’usage et l’attachement des gens
- Mettre en valeur cet espace vivant avant qu’il ne disparaisse dans l’oubli
- Porter à l’attention de tous les plans de la Ville et engager un dialogue
- Réclamer les espaces urbains, animer les terrains vagues et ré-enchanter le public avec le monde vivant et naturel du centre urbain
- Stimuler les autres à faire germer ces idées dans leur propres environnements
photo Melissa Campbell
The Roerich Garden Project
Sprout Out Loud's first project — the Roerich Garden — was a site-specific earthwork located in the Maguire Meadow (2007-2011), one of the last undeveloped pieces of land in the Plateau Mont Royal. Once owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway, it was acquired by the city in June 2009. This meadow is used and cherished by the community because it is a free and unregulated space (in practice). No need to ask for permission to grow things there, create art, or gather.
In 2008 some plans were proposed for the field and some neighboring residences and businesses were to be sacrificed in the process of developing the land. There was talk of building a 'cour de voirie' on this site, which would involve decontaminating the field and then building a lot to hold city vehicles. It was a part of the city's 9M$ makeover for the Maguire district in the Mile End.
The Roerich Symbol brings together the idea of nature and culture and is the cultural equivalent of the Red Cross. Russian artist and culture activist Nicholas Roerich developed it to become an internationally recognized symbol to protect historical, cultural, and scientifically valuable monuments. Intended to prevent aerial bombing in WWII Europe, it was installed on rooftops of museums, churches and universities. The three centre circles are said to represent art, science and religion.
Symbole Roerich
Le Projet (jardin) Roerich
Le Jardin Roerich — était un aménagement in situ dans le champs Maguire, entre 2007 et 2011, sur un des derniers terrains vagues du Plateau Mont Royal. Jusqu’à récemment propriété du Canadien Pacifique, il a été acquis par la Ville (juin 2009). Ce champs est utilisé et est cher à la communauté parce qu’il est (en pratique) un espace libre et non-régulé. Pas besoin de permission pour y cultiver des plantes, faire de l’art ou se rencontrer autour d’un feu de camp.
Bien que les plans ne soient pas définitifs, le champs et quelques résidences et immeubles voisins pourraient bien être sacrifiés lors du développemnet de l’endroit. Cela est prévu pour 2010. On parle toujours de construire une cour de voirie sur le site, ce qui impliquerait la décontamination du sol puis la construction d’un garage municipal. C’est dans le cadre du projet d’amélioration de $9 million du district Maguire dans le Mile End.
Le symbole Roerich réuni l’idée de la nature et de la culture et est l’équivalent du symbole de la Croix Rouge. Artiste russe, et activiste d'un culture de paix, Nicholas Roerich l’a développé afin qu’il devienne un symbole reconnu internationalement, protégeant les monuments historiques, culturels et scientifiques de valeur. Utilisé pour prévenir les bombardements aérien en Europe lors du Second Guerre Mondiale, on l’installait sur le toit des musées, églises et universités. Les trois ronds au centre du symbole se trouvent dans toutes les cultures primordiales du monde et représentent la nature intereliée de la vie.
I'd first of all like to clear the air, because there are mis-impressions and mis-communications going around about an article written recently at Imagine (le) Mile End. The article is about Montréal police officers stopping our gardening events on private railway land last Sunday May 17th. See article here: http://imaginemileend.tumblr.com/. I did not write this article.
I want to clarify that I never made assumptions about borough mayor Helen Fotopulos calling in the cops and have always enjoyed our interactions. I have been thrilled thus far with her support of my project. I appreciate her support and commitment to the greening of the borough. It has always been my intention to work cooperatively with her. I hope we can do this in the future, as there are some super inspired ideas simmering in our neighborhood at the moment. If she is willing to come out to our events, (which has indeed expressed interest in) then that would be wonderful.
Marke (of http://imaginemileend.tumblr.com) is entitled to his opinions, and has every right to express himself over the touchy and mysterious occurrence of Sunday. I am enjoying the abundance of discussion occurring over this topic.
We are in the process of seeing what we are and aren't allowed to do on CP land in the coming week. Plans for a small festival are shaping up for Saturday June 20th from 1pm-11pm. It is shaping up to be an amazing day! We will need help co-creating it please, so get in touch w Emily asap. A calendar with 2009 events will be up on my site shortly.