My tasks at VIVO have been centered around the thirstDays events- particularly No.10 Hands Across the Sky. For my creative response, I wanted to make something that used materials that I actually worked with during my internship. I chose to use the posters from thirstDays No. 10 Hands Across the Sky because it was the event I was most involved in at VIVO.

One of my tasks at VIVO was to help promote the event by hanging event posters around UBC campus. Once Hands Across the Sky was over, I went back to collect the posters from their various locations. I wanted to use these in my project, while showing some of the various tasks I completed during my 40 hours.

Because my tasks at VIVO were quite random (and my time there has been short- only 5 days), I had trouble coming up with an idea that could encompass my experience as a whole. I decided to paint 5 images (to represent the 5 days) of different moments during my internship. I took photos on my iPhone and used these for reference. By painting these images of various tasks/moments from my time at VIVO directly onto the thirstDays posters I had distributed around campus, I bring together the thirstDays No. 10 event, and my diverse tasks.

While brainstorming ideas for my creative response, I was also stuck on what medium I should use. Since VIVO is a video and digital media centre, it would be appropriate for me to create something about video or digital media. However, there are a few reasons why I chose to use paint instead of a digital/video form to represent my time at VIVO. Firstly, when I began my internship, I was unsure of my capabilities because of my lack of knowledge and experience with video art and digital media (that being said, I was very excited to experience something new). I didn’t work with any digital media during my internship (it was mostly website work and posters). Even though I haven’t gained much knowledge about those forms, my experiences have definitely increased my interest in ways of combining painting and digital art. Secondly, because paint is the medium I usually work with, I think it is the best material for representing me in the context of VIVO.

sketches

the posters drying

I have worked at VIVO for a total of 5 days. Although my time has been limited, I have enjoyed being in that environment. My tasks have been quite random (I usually just show up and Elisa gives me something to work on) although they are usually related to the thirstDays events.

My last two days at VIVO have involved updating the ‘Past Events’ section of the VIVO website and posting event advertisements on the Georgia Straight, Vancouver Sun and Emily Carr websites.

Another one of my tasks was to get the word out for the last thirstDays event (No. 10 Hands Across the Sky) which took place on November 24th. I posted event posters around UBC campus and invited friends and family on Facebook. I

My last day at VIVO was on November 24th for thirstDays No. 10. I helped review video works (to make sure there were no glitches or technical hiccups) and I helped prepare the space and created some props for the performances. During the event, I helped serve food and drinks to the audience.

My next day at VIVO will be on December 15th, for the 11th thirstDays event titled, Eat Rice Yet?

Here is the Facebook link for the event!

Project Outline:

My partnership at VIVO Media Arts Centre is very unstructured, meaning, there is no specific project or task that I am assigned to. Because of this, I don’t have a real “plan of attack.” My initial meeting with Elisa Ferrari was done over the phone, where we discussed my required hours and availability. I have a set schedule (about one day, every other week) where I help Elisa with various tasks for the monthly even series, thirstDays.

So far, my tasks at VIVO have included organizing posters, printing and preparing pamphlets for events, and updating pages on the VIVO website (a lot of the work involves me sitting behind a computer).

I am required to be at the next thirstDays event on November 24th. I am going to be helping promote this event by hanging posters around UBC campus and working with the curators on preparing props for the event. I will also be helping with serving food and drinks at the event.

Goals:
Because my partnership doesn’t involve a set project, my main goal has been to be generally helpful to the staff at VIVO, however possible. I have noticed that everyone at VIVO works relatively quietly on their own tasks, so I try to be as self-sufficient as possible.
A more personal goal of mine is to learn about video art. I have always worked in more classical mediums of drawing and painting, and I am quite ignorant about new media forms. My (short amount of) time at VIVO has increased my interest in this realm, especially because they hold workshops that anyone can take. I hope to take a workshop at VIVO in the future.

DAY 2: October 27th

On Thursday, October 27th the 9th thirstDays event took place at VIVO. I arrived at the centre around 3pm and began preparing the evening’s event pamphlets (printing, sorting, and folding) This took a bit of time as there were multiple technical problems with the computer/printer.

This is the pamphlet for thirstDays No. 09 (dying of thirst).The image below shows an excerpt about the next thirstDays event (No. 10) on November 24th, which I will be more actively involved in.

The technical staff (Nik and Alex) spent the day setting up the lights/projectors and testing the live stream/Skype connections. We began setting up the exhibition space for the event at around 6:30pm (placing chairs, pamphlets, preparing the bar, etc). At approximately 7pm Jayce arrived at VIVO with catered food for the event.  In total, there were about 4 people actively working towards setting up the space on the day of—I was surprised at how quietly and quickly the event came together.

When the public started to arrive I was taking a break, and there was not much else for me to do but enjoy the perfomances. The evening began with an introduction by Jenny Fraser and Tanniz Nielsen (the event curators) and then went into video performances by various indigenous women artists speaking about the issues of water conservation and the protection of indigenous territories. There was a short intermission where we enjoyed food and drinks, followed by a presentation by Rita Wong.

The evening ended with a powerful performance by Lori Blondeau entitled, ‘offerings.’ Blondeau entered the quiet studio space wearing a long, black gown. Her hair and gown were drenched in water; leaving a trail of wet footprints as she walked barefoot to the stage. After taping a newsprint to the wall, she began unwrapping a small paper package, which contained a dead fish. She also unwrapped a dagger-like knife, and a large piece of blue cloth. While kneeling on the ground (and with the audience completely engrossed in silence), Blondeau began cutting into the fish with the knife. She removed the guts and wiped her bloodied hands on her dress. She then began tearing the large blue cloth into strips with the same knife. Once the entire cloth was torn, Blondeau got up from the floor and left the room, leaving the dead fish and pile of blue scraps in the centre of the stage. The lights dimmed from blue to green, then red, and turned off. The performance lasted approximately 20 minutes, with the audience sitting in complete silence. Blondeau’s meditative and powerful effect on the audience was palpable.

My partnership at VIVO Media Arts Centre as the Promotions Assistant has (finally) started! My first day at VIVO was on Wednesday, October 26th which was also the first time I met my contact, Elisa Ferrari. Elisa is a media artist and the events/exhibitions coordinator at VIVO. So far, I do not have a plan or outline for my partnership because I will be helping Elisa with various tasks as they come.

DAY 1:

My first day at VIVO started with a tour of their relatively new location on Kaslo Street. The video archive was particularly exciting to see, with tapes and publications dating from the early 70s when VIVO began as the Satellite Video Exchange Society. The tapes that have been distributed through the years have been digitized and thus, preserved. However, Elisa explained that there are still a lot more tapes that have never been used/distributed, thus, have not been digitized. Their new video library space does not have the best air system (the tapes need to be stored at a low tempurature to preserve the film)– but they are working on it! The general feeling that I got form the tour of VIVO is that its a very low-key, DIY space and that is still under construction.

After the tour, I was put to work sorting and counting posters from the past thirstDays and Destroy Vancouver shows, which were to be archived. I counted over 500 posters, input the numbers into an excel spreadsheet, and then printed pamphlets from each show. Even though this was a tedious task, it was interesting to experience the work environment at VIVO. Everyone generally kept to themselves and seemed to be steadily busy, yet laid-back.

While I was inputting poster counts into Excel, Elisa asked if I would rather go to a meeting at photographer/digital media artist, Jayce Salloum’s home. I of course said ‘yes,’ and we immediately left VIVO and headed downtown. Jayce is the current artist-in-residence who is the project curator of the thirstDays event series. (More info about thirstDays here: http://www.vivomediaarts.com/category/series/thirstdays-series/ )

The meeting at Jayce’s home in Gastown (which has an ~amazing~ view of the Vancouver Harbour) was held to discuss next month’s event (thirstDays No.10) which will take place on November 24th. Present at the meeting was Jayce, Elisa, Cathy, and Dima (who is currently in Beirut so she joined us via Skype). I took notes and was also assigned a few tasks to help with the promotion of the event. After the meeting, Elisa and I drove back to VIVO where I finished my tasks and then called it a day!

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