If this process and exhibition are exploring “where we live” and “where we visit”, I’d like clarification about the concept of “community” that is being used. The idea that we are referring to two communities is difficult for me to understand. Or more specifically what community is being referred to by the different posters?
Vjane posting Public Art Discussion
“The obvious connection of two of Canada's most notorious heavy/industrial planet changing installations has become parsed, examined in more nuanced units. Public Art fits into these nuanced appreciations of both communities.”
Rocky ,Vjane and Nick have referenced the word “communities” and compared “them” with references to the industrial aspects. I can understand how based on the places that were visited that Sudbury artists obtained the perception that was posted on March 27, 2009 (Public Art Discussion) and now by Nick. I am continuing to be unclear as to which community is being compared to Sudbury?
Burlington is the community where the exhibit will happen but is that what these artists are referring to when they refer to community in their statements?
To reference the steel mills as being connected to Burlington may be perceived as an insult by some of the people of Burlington. I’m sorry if we did not spend enough time in Burlington for the Sudbury artists to get a better grasp about the community that the exhibition will be in. The vast majority of Burlington is a very visually clean and a well kept community. So when someone compares nickel mining and steel mills, it may be best to be articulate which communities that you are comparing. It is not Burlington but Sudbury and Hamilton.
Burlington’s industries are not steel making but tend towards clean industries. The main industries of Burlington are: a/ high technical /informational (advance electronics & bio tech), b/ automation, robotics and engineering design, c/ durable good producers, and d/ advanced manufacturing. Its largest employer is a food processing plant. THESE ARE CLEARLY NOT HEAVY STEEL INDUSTRIES. Added to that, Burlington is a commuter city with many citizens working in the west GTA and downtown Toronto. Within the past forty years more and more people have moved to Burlington from the east such as Toronto.
( read http://tinyurl.com/dfdkan andhttp://cms.burlington.ca/Page500.aspx
I acknowledge that the steel mills of Hamilton play a role in the perception of the concept of community for those from Hamilton. The artists from Sudbury visited and may have spent more time in Hamilton than Burlington. They may have gained a deeper understanding of it than Burlington. They may feel more affiliation with Hamilton. I was also seeing and considering a comparison of the steel/mining concept. If others are taking that comparitive approach, it may be better for me to stick to Burlington as it is my community now. Although I have a lot of interaction with Hamilton, very few people in Burlington have interactions with Hamilton. Increasingly, Burlingtonians look more towards the east (Toronto) than west (Hamilton). Presently, fewer than 15% of people of Burlington are employed in Hamilton. Forty years ago, that figure was 55%. Steel mill influences in Burlington are just not present today at all!
Burlington is generally affluent and has stronger socio economic ties with Oakville, Milton, Mississauga and Toronto. BAC, itself, does seem to have ties with all of the communities represented in the Burlington group though. If the exhibition goes outside of BAC walls, the public realm for interaction is going to more or less be the Burlington community. Or are some artists considering a public installation in Hamilton?
I found a discussion with Jamie and Nick during the James St. N. art crawl interesting Perhaps rather than comparing “communities, it may be more along the lines of comparing Northern and Southern? I think that it was during that discussion that I became aware of a perceptual difference between northerners and southerners when it comes to travel. Northerners refer to traveling in terms of time while southerners refer to travel in terms of distance. If a northerner is travelling they state how long that it will take to get to point B while southerners refer to the distance in kilometers. Do I have that correct Nick and Jamie?
It may be best to be aware that the “community” concept may be rather difficult to compare unless we are more specific. The artists in the Burlington group have roots in a larger number of communities other than Burlington itself but the exhibition will be in the community of Burlington. I don't mean to offend anyone but as the lone artist from Burlington itself, I thought that I had better clarify a bit more about the community of Burlington. I’m confident that we will have a great exhibition! I thought it best to bring these points to all of us though.
What are you views about "our" communities?
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8 comments:
For the creative purposes of this exchange I suggest the following "Rule of Thumb" - if you can see the smokestacks from your burg and you can smell the fumes or taste the sulfur on a bad day then the industrial offender is part of your "community".
Ron
Yes that may be a good idea Ron. You can not see the smokestacks, smell the fumes or taste the sulfur on a bad day from Burlington. When I took the group across the bridge to the beach where the smoke stacks were visible, we were actually in Hamilton. Burlington ends/begins along the beach strip at the lower bridge.
Oh...lol Let me clarify. You are able to see the smoke stacks from LaSalle Park on the Northshore of Burlington. Due to prevailing winds I suspect that you never/rarely would be able to smell it.
Time, Distance, and Community....
I also like the Air concept.
Let me add Transportation to that.
In my experience the winds across The Bay often blow from the steel mills across the Bay to the west end of Burlington. The north end of Hamilton west of the steel mills is often spared.
you can also see the steel mills from Waterdown Rd. and all the escarpment elevations in S. Burlington.
I live in southwest Burlington. I do not see or smell the smokestacks unless I chose to visit La Salle Park. When I drive along Dundas street towards Waterdown, I do not see smoke or smokestacks.
The prevailing winds take any smoke in a different direction from Burlington. Burlington has been recently declared the fourth best place to live in Canada. It tied with Oakville and Port Hope as the best weather in Canada. Pollution from these steel mills would have affected the ranking if there was any from the steel mills.
We see the world as we wish to see the world. Perhaps many Burlingtonians tend not to look in that direction. As stated, Burlingtonians now look east towards Toronto, etc.
Again, generally Burlingtonians have no affiliation with the the steel mills of Hamilton. The Hamilton steel mills are not part of our community.
In human communities, environment, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness as a community
In sociology, traditionally a "community" has been defined as a group of interacting people living in a common location. The word is often used to refer to a group that is organized around common values and social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household. . If you cast your net too great, it may become difficult to be valid in identifying the location as a community.
In a seminal 1986 study, McMillan and Chavis identify four elements of "sense of community": 1) membership, 2) influence, 3) integration and fulfillment of needs, and 4) shared emotional connection.
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