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SPRING 2016 Our Future
SPRING 2016 Our Future
woo publication
Editor-in-Chief Daniela Buitrago Art Director Karim Kadi Editorial Director Bronwyn Carere Design Team Riley Banks Daniela Buitrago Lula Christman Cassie Chuang Karim Kadi Taysia Louie Jordan Anthony Tate Editorial Team Adi Berardini Jessica MacDaniel Media Team Jessica MacDaniel Matthew Wong Sam Wong Illustrator Juan Cisneros
Editor’s Letter This Spring Issue aligns well with the changing of the seasons; it marks the end of the school year and the beginning of another.
Woo publication is a project I will always be grateful I
was part of. For four years I worked for Woo, and now that I’m graduating, it’s time to let others shape the future of the publication. My one request for the Emily Carr community is to keep Woo alive. It is in the future members’ hands to experiment and decide the new direction for the publication. — Daniela This is the result of talented and hardworking team of students that have come together during their free time to work on a publication that showcases student work. We dedicate this issue to our team, but also the future of our school and the future of the publication. We hope that the new campus brings new spaces that will inspire students to push the boundaries of design, art and film. We also hope that Woo inspires students to start new zines, artist books and publications, that together with Woo, will enrich the school’s experience of editorial work and generate conversation in our community.
By Daniela Buitrago & Karim Kadi
Dad, time to go / callum coogan / oil on canvas
“The use of repetition permeates most of his work, recognizing the cognitive dissonance that occurs when reflecting on past memories.�
play time / Hayley Perry / pen and watercolour Look at me / yandi shi / digital illustration
ioana in herringbone jacket / andrew mck ay / Acrylic, ink + graphite on paneL
Behind if not in front, ink on paper (left) / Path, ink on paper (right)
heather kai smith is an artist, animator and illustrator from calgary, ab, canada. over the past ten years, smith has actively contributed to her local arts community through artist-run centre directorial work and workshop facilitation. she has regularly exhibited her artwork locally and abroad and has attended residencies in germany and new mexico. smith has also participated in workshops, festivals and exhibitions across canada and the united states. her practice is rooted in examining sincerity of self through the act of production, the culture of display and the desire to give the invisible a shape. she is currently attending emily carr university of art and design in the master's of applied arts program
Heather Kai Smith interview by adi berardini
In what ways do you conceptually approach your work?
How did you first become interested in using archival material as inspir ation?
My practice always begins as and is underpinned by process of searching. I do this by searching through predominantly digital archives, looking for representations of women in an effort to understand their contemporary affect. I’m interested in how historical images have the ability to evoke a subjective nostalgia, a period reference, while remaining part of a consumer culture, or under dominant structures of power. I try and disrupt these images by creating collages and combining multiple representations. The images are then translated through drawing, a performative act which re-presents and complicates the readability of the images through my own subjectivity.
I’ve always been interested in “collection” in more broad terms. I personally collect a lot of photos, ephemera and bits of material culture which I often reference, but I became more interested in how this is a process of collection is also institutional and meant to describe history in some sense. I want to engage with the sites of the archive as a material, something which can be questioned and re-engaged.
It seems like you are also interested in pop culture and advertising references. What or who else inspires your dr awing? Pop culture and advertising are definitely part of the pool of images I draw from, I think these influences are unavoidable when referencing visual culture. A lot of my work is inspired by photography, album or book covers that are of the 1960s-70s, the era I’m most interested in referencing. This is because of that era’s connection to second wave feminism, counterculture movements and the idealism/inevitable failure of these movements. My favorite artists right now are Kaye Donachie, Kate Davis and Steven Shearer.
What is the biggest obstacle when making your work? When do you work best? Lately the biggest obstacle has been space, because of the scale of the drawings. I always want to install multiple drawings at the same time, and this can be a challenge when working in small studios. I usually work best when I let go of these concerns though, experiment and allow myself to make mistakes. What advice do you have for undergr aduate students at Emily Carr? Don’t get pinned down by attempting to find your style, position or specific life’s work… take lots of time to try lots of things on.
rosemary / andy chinaloy / photo collage
road rash (Cherry scented soap) / hayley muir / oil on canvas
a girl named dexter / Pedro Amato / digital Illustration
the meltdown / Petra zeiler / digital illustration
I Am. / Veronica Dorsett / silkscreen print
true to form / juan cisneros / illustration
desis at Emily Carr bronwyn carere
Three waves of innovation have characterized the move towards a sustainable society: distributed intelligence, distributed power generation, and point-of-use production. When combined these elements create a new, manifold model for existence on a resource-stressed earth. The idea is a resilient, distributed system whose constitution is not compromised by stresses to one or more of its parts. It is the antithesis of – and solution to- mainstream processes of modernization and their reliance on limitless consumption. Or at least these are the theories put forth by design strategist Ezio Manzini in his paper, “Resilient Systems and Sustainable Qualities”. As a figure at the forefront of sustainable design, Manzini has his fingers in many pots, one of the larger being DESIS (Design for Social Innovation towards Sustainability), an international network of university-run design labs. Their focus is social-technical change, specifically that which leads to lower impact lifestyles. Modelled after the EMUDE (Emerging User Demands for sustainable solutions) project, the UNEP Program (United Nations Environment Programme), and Torino’s “Changing the Change” conference, DESIS’s process – put simply - involves with the collection of case studies, and subsequent conception of related projects or open-source publications.
Though there are 46 DESIS labs globally, only one exists in Canada; Emily Carr joined DESIS in 2012, becoming the first Canadian site for DESIS initiatives, meetings and open café discussions. Headed by lab coordinator Louise St. Pierre and manager Hélène Day Fraser, the Emily Carr DESIS team divides their work into classroom projects, research projects, and master’s of design research. Some of these projects are integrated directly into the Emily Carr design curriculum (see the Industrial Design core studios in 2015 and, more recently, the Design for Social Change COMD core studio). Others are more expansive, involving local and international communities including the Vancouver Public Libraries, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Chicago. In addition to these connections, St. Pierre and Fraser maintain contact with a nexus of DESIS labs spanning from Johannesburg, to Auckland, to Santiago, to Shanghai. Despite this elaborate system of contacts each lab functions as its own, autonomous body; what defines them as DESIS affiliates is their research within its ‘cluster themes’, and participation in its annual general conference. Emily Carr DESIS has guaranteed its relevancy with a string of projects relating to food systems, underserved communities, collaborative spaces, and mindful consumption.
illustration by juan cisneros
Most of the ECUAD community has engaged with the products of Emily Carr DESIS lab, though perhaps not wittingly. The Commons spaces, fostered by Beayue Louie, are communal, transformable spaces of public curation. Though first conceived for a library setting (as The Commons @ Public Libraries), more familiar are The Commons as exhibited in the Concourse gallery. The latter iteration was created as a user validation trial for Louie’s senior design project in 2014 but has continued to manifest in the years following her graduation. Each exhibition has sustained its founding principal of collaborative knowledge creation, featuring surveys, workshops, installations and interventions. Perhaps less familiar, but equally intensive are DESIS’s Tradition Town Collaborations I & II. Working in conjunction with Village Vancouver, and Vancouver Public Libraries, Collaboration I saw the creation of seed libraries following analysis of the, “grassroots culture of seed sharing”. Prototypes included a Seed Apron, Market Box, Book of Seeds, and DIY Seed Storage. The four artefacts addressed social performance, street fairs, public libraries, and the community garden, respectively. All were presented at community gatherings for discussion.
Collaboration II focused on the promotion of fermenting which is a means of food preservation that is both low-energy and healthful. Using popular Vancouver potluck Neighbourhood Savour as its conduit, DESIS generated discussion about the potential for fermenting in the Vancouver community. While not as product-based as its predecessor, Collaboration II is demonstrative of the “social capital” that DESIS so values. Though such projects are already prolific, and its network is already vast, Emily Carr DESIS continues to expand. A name, email, and proposed project are the only precursors to pursuing new investigations; interested parties can visit the Emily Carr DESIS website: http://desis.ecuad.ca/, and fill out the proposal form under ‘Contribute’. Those with an affinity for the corporal, and a desire to learn more, can attend one of the biweekly DESIS assemblies. If articulation were the key to a low carbon, socially conscious society then DESIS would have long ago achieved its goals. Unfortunately, greater participation – unified, global participation – is needed to come anywhere close. To cite Manzini once more, “the planet is very rich with potential intelligent operators.” DESIS -- provided it can continue to grow – seems as good a place as any begin the recruiting process.
The Wellness Project / jodie Lavery / App Design
Steamy / Lisa Lai / watercolour
canteen 001 / andrew Tavukciyan / ceramic
Making Excuses / Chamali Weerasooriya & Hyo jin lee / print
Shift / Cassie Chuang / web design
SHIFT is a digital application for supporting creatives in streamlining the documentation of their process work.
Upstanding / daniela buitrago / print
rACHAEL crocker / so goddamn pleasant / hand-LETTERING
megan kwan / revival / publication
TEAPODS Serena Bircher product design
This design is intended to be used as airtight storage containers for varieties of loose leaf tea. The individual pods can be stacked and arranged in any way that is preferred. Each pod holds approximately 1.5 cups (about 355 grams) of loose leaf tea.
RHOMBO Ali Alamzadeh, Andy Liao, Debbie Lee & Dhia Istiqamah product design
Rhombo is a modular coffee table that can be used as a single unit or large unit. Each unit has built-in technologies that can be used in different ways. One unit comes with wireless charger and the other comes with night lamp. Having a large area of storage on the bottom makes Rhombo to a really useful piece of furniture.
SOFT BOARDS Paul Grawitz & April Jia product design
Soft Boards is a project that helps children develop their building skills while developing creativity and imagination. By creating a pattern with differently shaped wooden frames connected with a system of fabric and plastic, the user gets to discover how to transform a flat two dimensional abstract surface into a three dimensional structure.
photography by Ema Peter
TED VANCOUVER 2016 ELEVATE Bryce Duyvewaardt, Neil Manchon, Terence Martin & Ivan Vanon industrial design
Design Build Research (DBR) is a registered non-profit organization facilitated by MGA. Independent from academic institutions, DBR provides hands-on design experience for students, recent grads and retired architects from architecture and interior design. A class of 16 students designed and built ELEVATE for the TED 2016 conference in Vancouver. Inspired by high-alpine shelters and the backcountry winter experience that
BC mountains offer, the ELEVATE huts provide a special platform and a unique point of conversation for TEDsters to share ideas between the various sessions of the conference. The ELEVATE shelters – each 16 feet by 30 feet long – were designed using LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber), a mass timber product donated by METSÄ. The structures were fabricated with CNC technology and erected on site in two days.
EN MASSE Karim Kadi publication + campaign design
“I’m the one with the gender, not the clothes.” En Masse is a curious publication that explores the relationship between gender and clothing. Through articles and photo shoots, this project is constantly finding new ways to be ourselves and push back against gendered expectations.
YONI HOUSE Michaela Rechtschaffner critical design
For women of any age willing to engage with the space to feel empowered or unashamed of their bodies and the natural experiences they endure as women. A room encompassing taboos around women’s bodies, inviting those who enter and interact with the objects within the space to initiate an alternate perspective of these social conventions.
Get me down from here / jane q cheng / oil on canvas
When the cool autumn blaze has burned itself out minimalist trees draw vascular webs against the grey sky Hibernating, vital signs drop to a whisper, barely a breath against your cheek revealing vestiges of birth caught at the intersection of capillaries A womb of sticks build by winged architects. —summer don’t come faster
a poem by Rachel Bowen
untitled / Nurzhan K abdrakhman / photography gateway market / Nurzhan K abdrakhman / photography
mumm / Zheng Tong Sun / photography
joy / Patrick Tak ata / film photography + drawing
Badlands / Riley Banks / photography
parts / Yuriy Kyrzov / acrylic on canvas
illustration by juan cisneros
Art in the School by jessica macdaniel
Art as an institution, and within the art school, has changed meaning throughout time. Presently, I find that almost every instructor is constantly challenging us to justify why we are here. It seems like they might not even know, or sometimes they just want to challenge us to answer that question. Perhaps it is some sort of existential crisis that the art school is having, or even art in general. At this point in time, tuition and living costs are high in Vancouver. It can be hard justifying attending an art + design university when the available jobs that result from the degree, do not necessarily lead to things we’d like to be creating and expanding on in our practice. During my time assisting curate The Student Publication Retrospective: Who is Woo? Exhibition with Adi Berardini, we collected snippets of writing throughout the publications 90 year history that seemed to grasp an essence of the school at the time. “Departmental stores expand so that the merchandise of the world might be at our very door. The demand was for more beauty, music, drama, painting and architecture came in answer.” - Charles. H Scott, 1927 The Paint Box, student publication “Art School provides beautiful playlet.” From 1935 – Behind the Palette, student publication From my experience participating in many critiques and studio courses at Emily Carr University, I do not find that it is an objective to make something considered beautiful, even though aesthetic is important. The school has a strong critical and even conceptual focus now, which I have found rewarding. Art is both an intellectual and visual exploration. “That an art school should even think of putting out a magazine may argue its inadequacy [...]. A single-minded writer chap may ask: ‘What can they say in words that they can’t say in paint or stone?’ or more pointedly, ‘Ah, you see, literature is after all the ultimate form of expression!’”– From 1957 What’s in a name? Toucan, student publication
That quote leads to an observation I find interesting: Often when I tell a history or writing teacher that I am in Critical and Cultural Practice they respond with, “Oh, you are one of us”. That is something that I disagree with. I find it hard to retain a studio practice and legitimacy as a Fine Art undergrad taking this major. For example, there are some critical + cultural practice majors who may use critical theory to solely inform their artistic practice. Since all of us in the major have a varied artistic practice and work in different media, we approach the major differently. Perhaps the significance is the discussion that weaves a common thread of meaning throughout our studies. Even at the level of our student publication, there can be a misalignment of what people think the publication should be about. There was discussion about our fall issue about design vs. art in the publication. Some people thought that there was a heavy focus on design in the publication. As an Art + Design school, these two disciplines can seem far apart. Also, something that I have observed is that sometimes the school can be encouraging people to critique its own institution and even attempt to teach one how to do so. At one point, artists worked to critique the institution, as seen in institutional critique work, and at that point in time it was less predictable. Regardless of the problems we see with the school now, as students attending we are complicit as customers and subject to its regulation, restrictions, and conformity to degree requirements. Does the function and role of art shift as society does? When it comes to the place of art in the school, there are many other conversations to bring up. I am struggling to figure out if the political power structures involved in society have lead to a bit of a paralysis. Is interdisciplinary work and the merging of disciplines a way of expand the art school? It is valid to question our own explorations in art and the need for an art school.
Grand Mosque Abu Dhabi / anna djerfi / photography
Redesign Of Disfunkshion Magazine / Riley Banks / digital publication
Ritual Slaughter (Meat in Bathtub) / Sydney Switzer / photography
Ritual Slaughter explores the ancient Jewish practice of shechita, or ritual meat slaughter. Through this process, animals are killed in a way which is thought to be the most humane and painless way possible, and prepared in a way which makes it kosher (fit) for human consumption. Meat in Bathtub depicts the final stage of the process, where the meat is soaked and salted to remove all remains of blood. The piece examines the ethics behind ethical slaughter, and the value of meat consumption.
everything is falling apart / Mallory Gemmel / book
The One With The Tub Of Water / Mallory Gemmel / 35mm Negative, Photograph
Let Me Tell You About the Birds and the Seeds / joni taylor / digital illustration
fond entropy - memory / Laurel O’Brien / Processing program
Repair Matters Toolkit:
jayde chang + k aren byskov — emily carr alumni
the outdoor edition
Hi there! This toolkit was made to facilitate creative problem solving when you’re out and about. It consists of objects that might be useful in an urban environment. We invite you to explore ways of using the objects for repairs and general problem solving! A plastic bag comes in handy when you forget your umbrella on a rainy day. The dime can be used
instead of a flat-head screwdriver. The chocolate can be used to brighten up your own or someone else’s day and can be combined with the elastic band for a surprise ”chocolate hit-and- run”. Bubble wrap is good for those moments of nervousness or when you just want to annoy someone.
Floor Life (Painters’ Forms) / M.E. Sparks / 2016
XVIII. Death
XII. The Hanged Man
XX. Judgment
Major Arcana / Callum Coogan / collage - mixed media
XII. The Hanged Man
Badlands / jessa macdaniel / photography Arrested change / matthew Wong / photography
1427 Stefan Obusan DIGITAL VIDEO
1427 is a one-shot short film about a surreal, paranoid dream about a burning house. Directing/writing credits shared with Kotryna Buruckaite and Dhruv Mohapatra.
Watch the film at vimeo.com/157886062
illustration by juan cisneros
the following is a call to action for students to advocate for a fair allocation of space. as students, we should be active in this time of transition. the move affects many current and future students. let’s be heard and voice our opinion for better studio and communal space.
Squeezed Out by adi berardini Third year painting student Adam* walks into the painting studio, brushes and canvas in hand scouring for an easel spot. The third year studio space is packed with both second years and third years because the second years do not have an appointed studio space. He finds a spot in the corner, but he is lucky this time. He has just about enough space to squeeze in and work at a make-shift table. The issue of space in Emily Carr is difficult to address for everyone. We already know that we don’t have enough space, and let’s not get started about the Industrial Design class that seems to takes place in the hall. Although, the school is moving to a new campus and things may look hopeful, but not necessarily without the help of students advocating for more space in all aspects in the school including media, visual arts, design and communal meeting and studio spaces. Communication, access and transparency are all things that we need to focus on improving in the school. These aren’t new issues, but ones we have been faced with since the school moved to Granville Island in the 1980s. The students were even more dispersed back then since Fir St studios hosted the painting students before the construction of the South Building in 1988. The pressing question is where the space will be allocated at Great Northern Way. Currently, there are some disciplines such as illustration and drawing lacking proper studio spaces at all. Working in an unused classroom until getting kicked out when a class starts is not a welcoming feeling. Will the pressing issue of space change? We also must take a critical standpoint of where the school’s primary “business” intentions lie. Both art and design are important to building a new future, although the school is marketing the practicality of the design program. In order to build a strong community all sections at the school need to feel valued. The school has been focused with the design program in regards to the marketing for both donations and admissions. The question of budget and money is always tough
and with the economy today marketing the design program may be “necessary.” Although, the world is already consumed with corporate entities and a school teaching art and design should not be considered one of them. It’s a strange feeling when other aspects of the school are not held with a similar esteem. In the process of moving to a new campus, reviewing what access means to every student is important. Hopefully, we can agree to see funds going towards things like affordable food on site, fair representation and access of space on campus, and the correct resources including a school nurse and more counsellors. Let’s strive towards a fair representation of space, not just a fancy looking building that prioritizes one section of the student body. We should also push for a more inclusive pre-requisite system that encourages us to broaden our skills, rather than confining us to one specific stream. Students should feel free to take a variety of different classes to broaden their skills, but we do not always have access to them. This would also help the school feel less divided into exclusive sections. Students, please make your voice heard by attending strategic planning meetings and focus groups for the portal, which will be replacing inside ec. Emily Carr claims to believe in community, but a strong community is not possible without a team working together to improve communication and fostering a positive environment. Students can complain all they want, but the administration, deans and faculty are here to listen to us as well. They want to work with us because they know these issues exist too. As the former school president Alan Barkley proclaimed in 1988, “changes to an institution must be responded to by changes within an institution.” Before the move we must analyze our efficiency and communication processes in addition our structure. Moving forward will be more challenging if we don’t work together to make the much needed systematic change now. *Adam is a pseudonym
colophon
Woo is available at Emily Carr University, Read
Bookstore & select locations within the City of Vancouver.
The views expressed in this publication do not reflect those of Emily Carr University or the editors and publisher. Inquiries can be addressed to the Directors at woo@ecuad.ca © 2016 including all content by the artists, authors and editors. All images are reproduced with the permission of its artists. Woo assumes all work published here is original and is the work and property of the submitting students. All art work titles and student names are trademarked or copyrighted by their respective owners. Woo gratefully acknowledges the support of students, alumni, faculty, the Student Union, and the Administrative Board at Emily Carr University. website woopublication.ca email woo@ecuad.ca facebook /woopublication twitter @woopublication blog woopublication.tumblr.com Printed with MET Fine Printers. The typefaces used in this publication are Sofia Pro—designed by Mostardesign studio Novel Pro—designed by Christoph Dunst This issue is limited to 350 copies. Woo Publication Room 241B North Building 1399 Johnston Street, Granville Island Vancouver, BC V6h 3R9