Journal 1. Piece number One.

Take 1 | Piece no. One | 19th of October.

I used to be a painting major way back in 2nd year. Changed to an installation art/sculptural/new media practice because... I can't help but collaborate with people. I really enjoy working alongside people.

A sunny Wednesday led me out venturing around Vancouver by Granville & Broadway St. with a small camera (more like camcorder). When you look like a desperada with a camera in hand & ask people to be a part of your so-called project, would it seem a bit of an annoyance to people hurrying down the street who are trying to get to point B? Would people go out of their way to speak out an opinion on their views about a personal topic? What has society created in terms of a more relaxed life & a life of stress & haste? Can balance truly be achieved? People sometimes need to stop a minute, think, & most of all - B R E A T H E .
The responses I received the most were people plugged into their music devices (aka mp3 players/iPods) & a couple "sorry hun, I don't have time"s at the sight of a little camera in my hand. Those that stopped, though, to give a minute or two of their time were genuine & firm with their beliefs.
A question brought to mind is the notion of the private & public people engage & interact with. A private & public emotional & physical space.

5 weeks in a less populated area in China this summer made me realize a difference in what people perceived as private spaces. The Chinese considered their emotions, past experiences & opinions to be private & were totally comfortable with being in a packed crowd (they had no personal space/bubble to burst!). Canadians on the other hand are very particular about their personal space & are totally comfortable expressing their emotions freely and speaking out their opinions on just about anything, if given the time and chance to.

Take 1, Piece no. One went pretty well despite the 90% response of no's. I think it's pretty much a gift when at least one in a crowd of a million would support you in some sort of way.
I'd like to say a big thank you to those who stopped when I flew you off your trajectory to somewhere and took the time to inspire this project. You all are what make this project happen. I just feel really thankful for that.
I learned too to figure out a way how to engage people in a multitude of ways, all doing it alone. What an exciting experiment and adventure! There's so much more to discover...