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May 7, 2021 to May 9, 2021
Event

Virtual Event

Check-InFriday May 7, 8:00AM

Access the Map Here

Access the digital map of Chris Reid’s Brandon, Manitoba!

In the spirit of urban exploration, and taking advantage of the specificity of location in Chris Reid’s Brandon-based artwork, you are invited to explore the city with the same dual perspective as Reid: as an artist and as a support worker.

By pulling up the resources map, you might be struck by the sheer number of social services that are clustered in Brandon’s downtown core. Sprinkled among those pins, the sites of the work in Nothing Smells in Absolute Zero share something more intimate and personal about tenuous housing. Users can open one of four walking circuits to get a sense of the proximity of all of these sites, with the exception of two “Extinct Bridge” tours, which will draw your attention to how city planning can disrupt daily life, divide communities, and privilege certain modes of transportation over others.

*This walking map is not meant to be taken literally, and we emphasize the obligation of each individual to approach urban exploration with a sense of moral responsibility, personal safety, and respect for fellow residents.

About Jane’s Walks

Jane Jacobs (1969-2006) was a writer and activist who was critical of “urban renewal” projects that pushed residents out of the places they live, gentrification, and other forms of urban blight. “Downtown is for the people” and “eyes on the street” are two phrases she coined that illustrate her approach to urban planning--urban space should be used, and used by the people who live in it.

Since its Toronto inception in 2007, communities all over the globe have volunteered to host Jane’s Walks. In the spirit of exploration, groups of people assemble to learn the secrets, histories, and trajectories of their neighbourhoods. Cities in 67 countries, including 78 in Canada, participate each year. 2021 will be the first year that Brandon has participated.

“Jane’s Walk is an annual festival of free, community-led walking conversations inspired by Jane Jacobs. On the first weekend of May every year, Jane’s Walk festivals take place in hundreds of cities around the world. Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours.”

For more information about Jane’s Walks, click here.

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Chris Reid, Cat and Baker’s Daughter by Telephone Poles, Ink on paper, 2014.