New Landscapes in the Republic of Property

While Vancouver continues to morph before our very eyes, the DTES still holds fast as a kind of Ground Zero, a place where the tactics of gentrification were forged and the strategies for community resistance keep getting refined. Whether its Hollywood North set dec’s turning local streets into a staging ground for the Marvel Universe, Port Authority privateers pumping more tankers and container traffic into the inner harbour or Robber Baron developers running rampant (on a field of Panama green), flipping tiny parcels of former refuge into huge chunks of change, the real owners, the people who put their lives on the line to build neighbourhood, thankfully, keep getting in the way. The view corridors may be more exclusive and the familiar landmarks harder to locate, but the big picture is still there for all to see. People, the Planet, not Profits. Here’s a few images that try and keep track of what’s really at stake.

I’m going to be away most of this summer at a residency, putting together a new project and these photos are kind of studies or sketches for some of the sculptural pieces that I’ll be working on. Notes to myself, or maybe just postcards from home.  Hope you’re all well, see you in the fall.  xs

Shoreline Erosion

Show Me The Body Politic

Blurred Lines

Scaffold

Niche Market

False Creeks

Take It Back

Demographic

Believer

Precarious

Bundle

Case Number

Proxy

(Un)conditional

Post-Human

Multitude

Millennial Exodus

The Best Place On Earth

Consultation

Proportional Representation

Effigy

Witness

Remediation

Economic Stratification

Lockout

Hard Times/Soft Power

Watershed Moment

Climate Refugees

Deglaciation

Habitat Loss

Walled Garden

Revitalization

Extras

Sousveillance

Brick & Mortar

Bread & Water

Diamonds & Pearls

Spillage

The Race to the Bottom

Degrowth

2 comments on “New Landscapes in the Republic of Property”

  1. Luiza says:

    Hello Scot,

    I connected with your projects from the first glimpse, I’m interested in the same topics. I was curious about the way in which your mind works with these images to create the meaning in the collages. For that a chat would be great, maybe e-mailing could work? On the other hand, if you ever get around the Balkans again, as I see you have already been in the area and like it, give a sign if you want to see some Romanian ”landscapes”. We’ve got plenty:) Keep up the great work.

    1. Scot says:

      Hi Luiza, Thanks very much for the feedback! I’m always glad to find out that work made about a about specific place or theme can have meaning in other places. Regrettably, I guess poverty and the struggles to maintain body and mind are kind of universal… I’d love to make it to Romania for a visit sometime, meanwhile I’d be interested to hear about your work. Please feel free to e-mail me and let me know what’s going on in your part of the world right now. Stay well, all the best x Scot

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