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<\/a>\u201cI grew up in the suburbs, and it was a new development, so all our trees were recently planted, tiny little things that you could never really build a tree house on. My parents didn\u2019t really have time to do something like build a tree house with me, so me and a friend had drawn plans of a tree house we wanted, and then that actually became the experience. I started realizing that this idea of a tree house, which is sort of this idyllic symbol for childhood, is something we still often think of; however, most people don\u2019t actually ever experience or get to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Considering her work revolves around attachments to buildings and objects, the Tree House Project is a natural fit. But those who have no experience with tree houses don\u2019t need to fret; the workshop is still for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s usually as much remembering for people who had them then as [it is for] people who didn\u2019t have them,\u201d says Suddick.<\/p>\n
After collecting the sketches, Suddick plans to create blueprints and models for these often elaborate drawings, although she and Udow focus more on the experience than on the finished product.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur work experience is process-oriented,\u201d says Udow. \u201cWe\u2019re not really that interested in creating one final product for the community in Victoria or the City of Victoria. It\u2019s more about creating a new way of thinking around city building, both placemaking and artmaking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Suddick says that each workshop\u2019s informal, low-stakes atmosphere allows people without any credentials to participate, which makes sense, as the planning of a city affects all of its citizens.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel like a playful, explorative approach allows people to feel like they have a place in both artmaking and placemaking,\u201d adds Udow. \u201cI think a lot of people who aren\u2019t artists are afraid of creating something that\u2019s not going to be good, or that it\u2019s not their place. And it\u2019s the same with placemaking. People will think, \u2018Oh, [this is for] this professional architect, or this professional planner, and it\u2019s their role to define what the city should need and how our spaces should be built.\u2019 We\u2019re trying to say, no, everyone should be able to have a say in this and can contribute meaningfully; that\u2019s part of the purpose of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As workshop participants collaborate with fellow community members, architects, and city planners, Udow says the experimentation that comes from the workshops\u2019 art-studio-like process helps citizens see spaces in a less finite way.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpace is never static; it\u2019s always dynamic and changing,\u201d she says, \u201cso instead of just coming up with one solution and that\u2019s it, it\u2019s always about making tweaks and changing the spaces in different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tree House Workshop
\n6:30 pm Tuesday, June 20<\/p>\n
Placemaking Workshop
\n3 pm Thursday, June 22<\/p>\n