Install had its own set of issues as expected, but ultimately the exhibition came together swimmingly. The wood for the stud wall was delivered late and Winnie needed final say on the purposed wallpaper that was going up behind it. The zine was changed to be printed in colour because we did not inform Joey and Keira thoroughly enough that we were planning to print in B&W. We printed far less than anticipated. An issue arose with the concertina from the the Living Archive workshop, as one of the artists edited the work done by the participants. We got around this by removing the edits digitally and reprinting the work sans edits. Ultimately we made it out in one piece thriving and excited for the public to see what we had spent so many hardworking months on.
Although the wind continues to rustle the bus, the exhibition is going as smooth as we could have hoped for. People are engaging and curious to the strange circumstances of the gallery. The audio had a mild hiccup on the second day, but with a quick fix that involved the acquisition of a mixing board we were able to get the audio back up and running. Now we wait, observe, and engage with those that enter the bus. From those that have themselves experienced homelessness to students unaware that their university even held an art collection, the gallery flooded with people all intrigued by the work we gathered for them.
The School of Pedestrian Culture walk was long and rainy, but also informative and contemplative. Although the event was sold out at 20 reservations, only about 7 were in attendance no doubt due some part to the weather. Participants were engaged in conversation and the group was even met by a member of the construction team on one of the sights. At the end of the walk an exhausted group sat at a local pub sharing their experiences and plates of chips.
We’ve jumped the hurdles presented to us and as we approach the finish line I can only look back with pride.
