Social Practice

More and more I find my idea of site specific not just being about place, but the also the people who populate it. My community/socially engaged practice has been defined by my ongoing interest in connecting with people, fascination at how everyone brings something new or different in problem solving and unique experiences of place: stories shared and hand techniques for working with materials discovered.

Celebration of seasons, place and community building projects with hands on material discovery, environmental and seasonal awareness are ongoing themes through these collaborations. The following are but a few images from projects, the flickr link will take you to in-depth community profiles, project background and more images.

woven forms made with Community will be installed outside at TELUS Science World in spring of 2012 as a part of the BranchWeave Project

The Coiled River

A river of spiral coiled forms will emerge over the summer; a transformation of invasive English ivy from Stanley Parks’ forest floor created by community members working with basic coil basketry techniques.
The final installation will be installed along the False Creek seawall as a part of the Science World TELUS World of Science facility renewal project.
lead artist: Sharon Kallis collaborators: Derek Irland, David Gowman

Summer Live in Brockton Point, Stanley Park

May and June Branchweave Workshops

In Stanley Park!

Here are some photos from our workshops. We had so much fun!

Thanks to all those who came out.

In June, 2011 I taught Sunset community members how to weave with green waste one lovely Saturday.

Starting with Invasive Ivy, we stripped away the outer layer then wrapped up the vines, wetting them to make them more malleable to work with. We then wove the vines into beautiful baskets! Local Horticultural Therapist, Aimee Taylo assisted with planting up the containers.

Community Trellis Weave at Moberly Arts Centre

The community was invited to spend some evenings this summer working with David Gowman and I in the building of garden edging, a trellis and a woven border for Moberly’s new herb garden. Using branches from park board maintenance trimming, participants will learn both simple sculptural weaving techniques and basketry methods while collaboratively turning the herb garden into a unique focal point for the Moberly Arts Centre.

NEST: Summer of 2010 in CRAB Park Vancouver

NEST: crab park community project, using local park materials we wove a border for the missing women memorial and wove large forms for the marsh area as potential bird habitat.

Means of Production: Autumn Shade Retreat blackberry, bamboo, willow, grass rope ( see material processing)

Means of Production: BeeHerding Fence- willow, bamboo

Means of Production: Common’s Gate- Hazel wood, Willow (see processing)

Means of Production: Blossom Pink Tea Party, Gnomie and miss Jody, the Queen Bee and the Legion of Flying Monkeys Horn Orchestra

The Ivy Project: weaving bird habititat, crochet ivy tree, woven ivy form, restoration site, ivy bio netting restoration experiment, staking willow bundles on restoration slope. ( see processing notes, flickr photos and Ivy Project website)

Mount Pleasant Elementary: Pathway to Sustainability School Residency, studying growth patterns in nature, community spiral pathway mosaic

East Central College, Union Missouri artist in residence: community floor maze mosaic, detail, harvesting Illinois Bundle Flower from restoration prairie on campus, bundle flower installation, seasonal table mosaic. See artist in grassland word press website

Coal Harbour Community Artist in Residence: Working with end of season materials from city garden beds.

table mosaic palette, table mosaic from community tea party, flotsam installation and detail, making the ivy boat and the final installation, summer palette and community portraits, a young participant and spiral on the grassy knoll.

Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Garden: Winter Shadow Tapestry