ENCOUNTERS inspires The Gathering Space

After meeting Ruth Ben-Tovim and Trish O'Shea at the community/performance conference in Rhode Island in 2003 and seeing the work they were doing with their ENCOUNTERS shop projects in Sheffield, England, Loree Lawrence (Lead Artist of The Gathering Space) started fundraising to do a similar project in the Junction neighbourhood. For the last six years ENCOUNTERS has inhabited disused shops in diverse neighborhoods and used them as a base to create artworks around the themes of people, community, identity, and place. The shops attract hundreds of visitors, becoming neighbourhood magnets, drawing in people of all ages and cultures to leave objects, memories, journeys, thoughts and ideas about where they live. In Fall 2006, ENCOUNTERS was featured in the British Pavilion for architecture at the Venice Biennale. Loree visited Ruth and Trish in May 2007 to immerse herself in their world and came back to join with Lise Beaudry, Noah Kenneally, and Amy Kazymerchyk in starting The Gathering Space. To learn more about ENCOUNTERS visit www.sharrowencounters.co.uk.

Home Movie Night in the Junction!

Our first of a series of Home Movie Screenings was a jam packed 2.5 hours of venetian holidays, beaver hunting excursions, and calgary stampede debauchery. The popcorn was flowing, and the audience provided nostalgic and entertaining narration to family and found films. Thanks to Jonathan and Sue from the HOMEMADE MOVIES Home Movie History Project for supporting and promoting such a stunning event. We have also set up our Junction Home Movie Hearth, which offers 8mm, Super-8 and 16mm viewing stations that are accessible in the Gathering Space during all open workshop hours. The Home Movie Hearth is available to anyone wishing to view and repair their own, or found, film. We will be hosting our second public screening on January 31st.

2804 Dundas W. Opening!

Our grand opening was a huge success. Many Junction Residents, Artists, and Community Organizers turned out to support the Gathering Space and contribute their stories and ideas to a range of installations that we've been cooking. Junction Judy was on hand to collect stories of how people came to the junction; people mapped their fond memories of the neighborhood; and many opened their pockets onto the scanner flatbed to create printed images for a photo collage. Our good friend Iel provided us with delicious cornbread, foccacia and hummous, baked earlier that day in the Cool Hand of a Girl kitchen; and we all toasted to the beautiful 'Reflections in the Junction' Photographs that were newly exhibited.