Photography | Pass it to the Left

Dec 31 2012

Activism, Colonialism, Colonization, Commons, Communication, Community, Culture, Democracy, Environment, First Nations, Internet, Knowledge, Local, Photography, Politics, Social Change, Sustainability, Water

Idle No More – #idlenomore

by Matea Kulic (italicized verses by Joy Harjo) with photographs by Shelby Tay

photograph by Shelby Tay

It was almost a year ago now I watched those words sear through the air of the auditorium. It was the red of her I noticed first: Red leather coat and boots, bright red lips.

I have a memory.

It swims deep in blood

My spirit comes here to drink.

Blood is the undercurrent.

Each saxophone note and beat of her drum stained my ears until they echoed in stories of loss, love and life that only Joy Harjo can weave so seamlessly.

Her words lifted out of the room, past the main square of San Miguel, where the Wixarika Indigenous gathered. They flew out over vast bronze hills and colored the cacti as they opened in blossom.

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Tagged Activism, Colonialism, Colonization, Commons, Communication, Community, Culture, Democracy, Environment, First Nations, Internet, Knowledge, Local, Matea Kulić, Photography, Politics, Social Change, Sustainability, Water

Dec 10 2012

Activism, Commons, Communication, Community, Economy, Homelessness, Housing, Intersectionality, Knowledge, Local, Photography, Politics, Poverty, Social Change

The Gentrification Conundrum

by Sarah Allan with photographs by Tegan MacDonald

Gentrification is a huge source of conflict and debate, particularly in Vancouver B.C., where the city changes faster than anyone can keep up with. As a phenomenon, gentrification is not necessarily a negative or a positive thing for a city. Gentrification was defined in the 1960′s by sociologist Ruth Glass as involving the change of a working-class or vacant area of a city to a middle class residential and/or commercial use area. Despite this seemingly neutral definition, there are definitely winners and losers when gentrification occurs in a city; there are things that are lost forever, and things that are gained. Lately, I have been asking myself, and others, a few questions as we all struggle to find our place in this rapidly changing urban environment: Is it wrong to benefit from gentrification? Is there a way for gentrification to occur, without sacrificing the communities that already exist?

Photo by Tegan MacDonald

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Tagged Activism, Commons, Communication, Community, Economy, Homelessness, Housing, Intersectionality, Knowledge, Local, Photography, Politics, Poverty, Sarah Allan, Social Change, Tegan MacDonald

Nov 30 2012

Art, Artist Series, Communication, Community, Culture, Local, Music, Photography

Artist Series – Deanna C.

Welcome to the twelfth day of Pass it to the Left’s ‘Artist Series!’ We have invited amazing artists and musicians to share their work with us, as well as their thoughts on their art, their music, social change, and community. Enjoy!

by Deanna C.

Why do you create Photography ?

I think the two biggest reasons are a desire for self expression and a need to visually document the world around me. My photography is an absolute expression of myself. It reflects so much of who I am – what I’m feeling, what I’m thinking, what inspires me, what I gravitate towards, and my perception and understanding of something or someone. I also seek to capture moments, memories, places, people and things that I want to remember through a still image. Photos are tangible. I can “photo-document” my experiences, the people in my life, the things and places that inspire me.

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Tagged Art, Artist Series, Communication, Community, Culture, Deanna C., Local, Music, Photography

Apr 27 2012

Art, Community, Culture, Documentary, Local, Photography

Main Street Gentrification – In Photographs

by Jonathan Taggart

When my parents first moved to Vancouver in 1981 they noted a distinct psychological division between the East and West sides of the city. This split lay like a zipper down Main Street, the historical separation between the municipalities of Point Grey and East Vancouver, perhaps a subconscious legacy of each district’s attitude towards taxation and infrastructure. Whereas historic Point Grey had invested heavily in its organizational longevity, residents of East Vancouver resisted, choosing instead to build their homes at varying distances from off-grid streets, and the visual hangover of this haphazard pioneering was evident 100 years later.

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Tagged Art, Community, Culture, Documentary, Jonathan Taggart, Local, Photography

Apr 13 2012

Art, Artist Series, Community, Culture, Education, International, Knowledge, Photography, Social Change

Artist Series – Studio Beluga: A Montreal Art Facilitator

Welcome to the ninth day of Pass it to the Left’s ‘Artist Series!’ We have invited amazing artists and musicians to share their work with us, as well as their thoughts on their art, their music, social change, and community. Enjoy!

by Alina Maizel

I think Svea and I were 24 and 25 respectively when over a coffee (or tea or wine, I mean who remembers now anyways?) we started vocalizing our daydreams and aspirations. We noticed one clear convergence. We both wanted to own an art gallery. So right then and there we decided to do it. If you’re in I’m in type of deal.

The concept behind Studio Beluga was to create a community of artists and art professionals, who could collaborate, share space, work together or independently and support other emerging artists from the Montreal community. The way we decided to build our artist community, and the structure of what was soon to be called Studio Beluga, was through a series of artist residencies. The residencies would work like this: people would have access to shared studio space, to create their works of art, then after a period of 4 months we would clear everything out and transform the space into a gallery style exhibition. In between these series of residencies, we would open up the space to work shops, shows curated by others and any other inspiring art events we believed could foster the exchange of ideas and community building.

Studio Beluga has collaborated with some incredible people and has curated some amazing shows – from a larger than life sized playground installation by Natalie Quagliotto, to an installation by Manuel Mathieu featuring two tongues on mini TV’s almost, but not quite – touching. Most recently we have been working with local arts organizations like Art Matters Festival, Folio Magazine, and the Sexual Assault Awareness week in Montreal.

Black geometric installation by Duy Pham

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Tagged Alina Maizel, Art, Artist Series, Community, Culture, Education, International, Knowledge, Photography, Social Change

Mar 12 2012

Activism, Charity, Children, Community, Environment, Homelessness, International, Non-Profit, Photography, Youth

Project Somos – Building a Children’s Village in Guatemala

by Deanna Alexander

Project Somos is establishing a village for abandoned and orphaned children in Guatemala near the town of Tecpán.

The Village will have seven homes with Guatemalan Foster Mothers raising a household of children.
The family homes are being built using earthbag construction.
This eco-sustainable Village will use alternative power, and will have organic agriculture & orchards.
The Village is being designed in collaboration with Guatemalan architect, Cecilia Rodriguez.
Education, leadership and arts will be key focuses of The Children’s Village.
The Village will work hand in hand with the local Guatemalan community.

Project Somos volunteers

The first two homes each of which house one den-mother and seven children

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Tagged Activism, Charity, Children, Community, Deanna Alexander, Environment, Homelessness, International, Non-Profit, Photography, Youth

Feb 24 2012

Art, Artist Series, Culture, Education, Photography

Artist Series – Nate LaCoste

Welcome to the third day of Pass it to the Left’s ‘Artist Series!’ We have invited amazing artists and musicians to share their work with us, as well as their thoughts on their art, their music, social change, community and Canada’s arts and music scene. Enjoy!

by Nate LaCoste

Why do you create art?

I have always been drawn to creative outlets and creative people. It just makes life more interesting. I cannot define why it is that I continue to create new bodies of work, but I know by doing so it fills me with a sense of stability and self worth. There are a million reasons to create art, but to me it’s just a feeling embedded into everything I do and see. Art is everywhere and in everything if you have an eye to detach it from it’s pre-existing setting. Being able to say profound things in a simple way.

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Tagged Art, Artist Series, Culture, Education, Nate LaCoste, Photography

Feb 03 2012

Colonialism, Colonization, Community, Culture, First Nations, Photography, Politics, Poverty

The Friction of Distance: The Lillooet River Valley

by Jonathan Taggart

The reserves of the In-SHUCK-ch Nation are scattered along both sides of British Columbia’s Lillooet River in an expanse of traditional territory stretching 100km north and south between the towns of Pemberton and Harrison Lake. Like many of Canada’s indigenous communities, the settlements of the In-SHUCK-ch exist in isolation; poverty is rampant and infrastructure dearly lacking, and with limited access to health and education resources, the communities of the Lillooet River Valley can be seen to represent a continuation of what has too often been referred to as the “Indian Problem”. In an arrangement resented by both the government and its Indian ‘wards’, the In-SHUCK-ch and its fellow nations survive largely on subsidies, their ability to contribute to the Canadian economy historically crippled.