On the Road Again:
a community collaboration project
Furniture mobilization workshop
September 10 - 13, 2007
Procession
September 15, 2007
Open Forum Discussion
September 17 - 23, 2007
On the Road Again is a performance art project that functions as a vehicle for discussion and for mobilization in response to Calgary’s rapid ongoing urban growth. Wheels will be installed on an assortment of donated and found furniture. This newly mobilized furniture will be moved in a parade along sidewalks and public spaces from the site of the former Brick Furniture Warehouse (Centre Street and 16th Ave North) to the former site of The New Gallery (9th Avenue and 5th Street SW) and points in between.
This collaborative performance acts as a commemoration of the transition of the two spaces (in particular the shift of the Brick site as a furniture retailer - to temporary housing - to Trans-Canada highway expansion), and offers a social space for discussion and action on the rapid growth and transformation of the city.
With Calgary’s growth comes destruction. Whole buildings are demolished overnight, leaving only rubble that will soon be cleared for the next development. Apartment buildings are emptied of their tenants and turned into condominiums. Homelessness and near homelessness is at an all time high. Even small businesses and non-profit organizations are displaced as prices increase.
How do we absorb and adapt to this recurring cycle of displacement and transformation of urban form? How do we rebuild and maintain our homes, identities and communities when our physical environment is in constant flux?
On the road again is an attempt to create a new space - no matter how temporary - where Calgarians can discuss these issues. Please visit our blog: http://ontheroadagaincalgary.blogspot.com (website no longer active) to share stories, memories and opinions. You can also use the space on this card to record your thoughts. Drop it off at The New Gallery, or any On The Road Again event. All submissions will be on display in Eau Claire Market’s Centre Court from September 17 - 22 (2007).