COMMUNITY 7

All Fall Down, 2009
Medium: Mixed medium, viewer interactive installation Dimensions: 4’W x 4’L x 12’-27’H
This is an installation using rubbings of poplar trees felled at Crag Lake, Yukon Territories. Yukoners were invited to respond to the question “Why do you live here? What are your concerns? The tallest tree can extend up to 27 feet high. Eye holes are cut where branches would have been and by looking through them you can see a silhouette of an animal common to the Yukon. This installation is designed to continue collecting responses by the visitors in what ever location it is exhibited in.

December 6th. the 30th. Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre, 2009
Medium: Fabric Dimensions: Community participatory event at the Marker of Change Memorial site in Thorton Park, Vancouver, BC.
On December 6, 1989 Marc LéPine armed with a rifle, walked into École Polytechnique Institute in Montreal, QC.separated the men from women and shot 28 people murdering 14 young women, before ending his own life.
The Marker of Change, the Women’s monument created by Beth Alber is a series of 14 pink granite benches representing women murdered by men is dedicated to the women murdered at Polytechnique Institute.
Remember Our Sisters Everywhere/ROSE, an organization fighting violence against women hired Margaret Dragu aka Lady Justice to perform at the event. I was hired to develop a community involved visual art component My idea was to have red and white scarves made with iron on transfer images combined with additions from community workshops. I created 100 padded felt red heart pins. The scarves and hearts were handed out to the public at the event. The public took part in Lady Justice’s performance and hung the scarves on a line left up at the site overnight.

Two Birds in the Hand, 2009-2010
Medium: natural detritus combined with commercially available materials Dimensions: Varies with each configuration of the installation components. Two Birds in the Hand is a public art installation that is flexible in its configuration. Created for the annual Mid Summer Fete in Coquitlam, BC the birds and nest can change in scale and be shown as separate smaller installation or as a single larger piece (see bird tents) The location is next to one of the largest community gardens in the lower mainland outside of Vancouver, BC.

Haruko Okano. Community Participatory Public Art 7