Maybe this is it?

Experiments:

more orderly and possible press type text?

From Miguel Batista: Translation

13: To You:

STRANGER! if you, passing, meet me, and desire to speak to me, why
should you not speak to me?

And why should I not speak to you?

13: A Ti:

ESTRANGEIRO! se, de passagem, me encontrares e desejares falar comigo, porque
não hás-de falar comigo?

E porque não hei-de eu falar contigo?

the one thing i had trouble with was "stranger", which meant something different in the context in which the bard used it. in the 19th century, it meant someone who was either from another nation or from another state, city, etc. now it means something else, of course.

i think whitman didn't use it to refer to someone from a foreign country, but to someone who simply was not from his dwelling place. in portugal, however, we don't have that notion: the word "estrangeiro" means somebody from another country only.

Ganesh Break

Held together with hot glue...

don't like the final effect, but will play some more now...

Pattern Play

some more experiments with the fence idea...like some of the pattern, but need to play more with text and designs...i was so excited to be chosen for the AJ, now comes the headache of turning your concept into reality! JOY!

curtain washed fence

I tried to image the curtain on the fence and then put the poem over it just to see what it looks like. I am doing some freehand drawings now to try to work through this idea in my mind. Overpreparation is my middle name!

I am thinking paper or thin vinyl to cut the shapes out although painting would be easiest...I decided that i like ephemeral...

lace curtain

this is the lace curtain that i am thinking of using for the patterning on the fence to riff on traditional portuguese azulejos. i am not sure if it is ugly...but i still like it.

the blue fence

Have found my fence. The entire alley is too much space for only a few weeks of preparation. I have a friend who will translate the Walt Whitman poem into Portuguese for me. The alley I will work in is in Toronto's Portuguese section and many of the residents speak little or no English. Art is weird enough for people and intrisically sets language barriers and I do not want to create another level of isolation for the work--especially one that depends on good neighbors.

I am thinking of finding a graphic way to depict and paginate the poem maybe riffing on portuguese tlle patterns?

alley jaunt

So much for achievable goals!

I am working on some ideas for the alley jaunt in Toronto in August. I will install in the alley between Montrose and Beatrice. It is grey and rainy today, so no visits to the space but take some photos when the sun comes out. My idea for the AJ is to paginate the poem To You by Walt Whitman along the fence. I have to decide what materials to use that can sustain rain (if possible), wind and how to place it. I have about a month to make it.

achievable goals

So many ideas, so little time...I have decided that while I attempt to build a website I will blog a thought a day to see what happens

new drawing