Here is a copy of a recent Q&A that I did for my show titled "For Sale." If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, the show is up until Aug 8th at the Foyer Gallery in the Squamish Public Library. Part 2, which is a different theme titled "Nature V Building," will be going up July 27th at the Green Olive Market and Café on Cleveland. The final show will be at the Ledge Cafe in September. Huge thank you to the Squamish Arts Council and their community enhancement grant for making this possible. …
Changing Squamish
Art is a powerful tool to share the beauty and fragility of the world and to bring awareness to the difficult political, economic and social issues of our time. This page is an accumulation of writings and photos that are part of a project titled “Changing Squamish'' which is an ongoing photography documentation of the gentrification that Sḵwx̱wú7mesh has and is undergoing.
Nexen
Ch’íiw̓es (Nexen), the location of the former Chlor-Alkali Plant and its lingering mercury contamination, is the planned location for the largest development to date. The marketing of Oceanfront is specifically aimed at “professional, creative and knowledge class workers '' with the aim to attract 6500 people (with zero affordable housing). This marketed environment is branded as “an elegant and exciting new residential and retail development that marks the first step in the upcoming Squamish waterfront renaissance.” This planned “beige-colored, monocultures,” is absent of difference or …
Changing Squamish. Part 3.
What follows is an old story that began long before I was born. Theft of land, capitalism, expansion, so-called development and “growth.” It’s all related, it's all the same, continuing itself in different forms and ways. They call this progress. I refuse. I question their motivation, their reasons. I don’t buy into their “modern ideology'' for a second. Their actions force me to question my own sense of belonging. The area is homogenized and sanitized; the familiar ripped down, deemed derelict, an eyesore or not modern enough. People who once made me smile; displaced, gone. Never to return to …
Changing Squamish. Part 2.
One of many development signs found on our streets. This particular one is in Valleycliffe and is found behind the old Cliffside, now Backyard. This accessible green space currently has a little bike track for the kids, a few forts, many birds and critters and a small stream running alongside. It is slated for a 3 story building of approximately 42 units. This photo is a part of my series, “Changing Squamish.” It will be showing at the end of June at various venues around town including: Foyer Gallery in the Squamish Public Library, Green Olive Market and Café and Lucas Teas. Huge thanks …
Changing Squamish. Part 1
I am pleased to announce that my project “Changing Squamish” was a recipient of the annual community grant from the Squamish Art Council. This project is a collection of photographs that document the gentrification and ongoing changes that Sḵwx̱wú7mesh has or is undergoing. Having been around long enough to remember Squamish as a quiet town where loggers outnumbered the recreationalist and Dairy Queen was the to go place on the main drag, in the last decade specifically, the changes began. At a rate faster than anyone likely expected, Squamish morphed from a quiet, affordable town, to one of …
Understanding the suckiness behind Squamish Camping bylaw
Homeless and nomadic people have historically been labelled with a social identity that has restricted their access to land and rights to live as free and equal citizens. According to Pivot Legal, by the 1700s, sleeping anywhere but in designated housing was considered a crime and offenders were penalized through punitive bylaws or by targeting behavioural offences. At the heart of the issue is land access, economic factors, and processes of othering. This ideology of exclusion is reflected in Squamish’s new camping bylaw which is branded as part of the “tourism management scheme.” While this …
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The Surveilled Life of a Squamish Vehicle Resident
Hidden. That's how I must live these days. Or as one city councillor calls it, “flying under the radar”. My need for discretion lies in my choice of home: A beige minivan called ‘Incognito’. It is like any other van until you peer into the windows. Then all is revealed - a bed, stove, shelves full of clothes and food… My vehicle is my home on wheels which essentially means I rely on public lands. To avoid confrontation, a possible ticket, or risk adding myself to the District's data of illegal campers, I must escape the watchful eyes of concerned citizens and bylaw. Like most towns these …
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Changing Squamish – Introduction
It was the summer of 2001. I had just arrived to make Squamish my stomping ground, 100% inspired by the magical combination of mountain, ocean and world class climbing. It had a small town feel and, though a climber, I felt somewhat an outsider. Some locals stared at me as I walked down the main street of Cleveland. My climbing attire didn’t quite fit into the local style of lumberjack, plaid and jeans. Squamish has since undergone numerous changes regarding its culture and environment. I had imagined capturing these changes on film before they were gone forever but this thought remained just …