The Projects in Port Credit: Suburban Sublime
Kerri Reid Broken Cinderblock Piece – Found 2006
Eight Canadian artists creatively speculate on the future of a suburban neighbourhood this month for a new offsite project organized by the Blackwood Gallery. Set in the former offices of an architectural firm in Mississauga, “The Projects: Port Credit” offers installations and performances that tackle the lakeside region’s rapid transformation from industrial hub to gentrifying residential zone. Several exhibition participants also critically reflect on the limits of community art practice.
In Gareth Lichty’s Hamper, for instance, huge rolls of orange construction fencing are lined up in several office cubicles, referencing the ongoing construction work in the area and the symbolic, as well as physical, dimension of public barriers. Kerri Reid’s The Port Credit Free Cinder Block Repair Service likewise addresses the role of urban renewal by fixing discarded building materials, while Sandra Rechico’s reconstruction of a playhouse originally installed in a park in the 1960s invites nostalgia for bygone, do-it-yourself architecture that has now been replaced by civic spaces.
Gareth Lichty Hamper 2009 Installation sketch Courtesy of the artist
A series of declarative, handmade posters by Diane Borsato that propose absurd public programs—such as “Swans will be treated like birds” and “Music teachers will receive free meat”—offers a lighter take on suburban transformation and playfully points to the utopian aspirations of public art proposals. Along with works by Kim Adams, Shane Krepakevich, Lauren Nurse and Jon Sasaki, these site-specific projects may inspire a moment of contemplation in the midst of suburban alteration. (55 Port St E, Mississauga ON)
Diane Borsato Swans Will Be Treated Like Birds 2009 Courtesy of the artist
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