Wreck City: An Epilogue for 809

WRECK CITY | an epilogue for 809

WRECK CITY Neighbourhood Photo by Neil Zeller	WRECK CITY Photo by Diane + Mike Photography	House Clouds Mynthia McDaniels with her artwork. Photo by Diane + Mike Photography
Colour Fields Artwork by Natalie MacLean. Photo by Caitlind Brown	Tape House Artwork by Camille Betts. Photo by Caitlind Brown	Dream Bathroom Artwork by Sarah VS. Photo by Diane + Mike Photography
Infinite Forest Artwork by the Pine Tarts. Photo by Diane + Mike Photography	809 Gallery Artwork by Prospect Human Services and Yvonne Kustec. Photo by Caitlind Brown	Greenhouse Artwork by Lane Shordee. Photo by Caitlind Brown
Greenhouse Artwork by Lane Shordee. Photo by Diane + Mike Photography	Glow Room Artwork by Lauren Frosst. Photo by Caitlind Brown	WRECK CITY Photo by Caitlind Brown
WRECK CITY Photo by Neil Zeller	WRECK CITY Photo by Neil Zeller

In April 2013, WRECK CITY organized WRECK CITY: An Epilogue for 809, a community‐based art experiment transforming 9 houses, 3 garages, and a greenhouse scheduled for demolition into temporary art, installation, and performance spaces. 150+ artists, musicians, and performers participated in WRECK CITY, salvaging materials from the homes to create a chaotic and engaging exhibition, made possible only by the freedom of working inside houses soon to be destroyed.

Instigated as an epilogue for 809 Gallery, one of Calgary’s influential garage galleries (scheduled for demolition with the rest of the homes), WRECK CITY was a swan song for the history of the neighbourhood, a playful comment on Calgary’s demolition addiction, and an opportunity to cultivate a new community of artists amidst the rubble of an entire city block. After opening its doors to the public, WRECK CITY was visited by 10,000 people over the course of nine days. Finite in nature, the ongoing power of WRECK CITY is the community of artists it created, the relationships it catalyzed, conversations it ignited, and a new recognition of Calgary’s potential as a constantly changing environment.

WRECK CITY was self-initiated and self-directed by Calgary-based Artists and Curators. WRECK CITY received funding from The Awesome Foundation, a Venue Sponsorship through Bucci Developments Ltd, hundreds of donorations via Invest YYC, and a project grant from Alberta Foundation for the Arts, alongside much sweat equity invested by artists and curators (thank you <3)

In 2016, Director Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi released a 60-minute documentary film called WRECK CITY: An Epilogue for 809, chronicling the project. The film debuted to a sold-out audience during the Calgary Underground Film Festival in April 2016, and is currently scheduled for Festival and Television circulation.

For more information about this project, visit the blog:

www.wreckcityproject.wordpress.com

WRECK CITY CURATORS

Andrew Frosst, Brandon A. Dalmer, Caitlind r.c. Brown, Jennifer Crighton, John Frosst & Kenna Burima, Matthew Mark Bourree, Ryan McClure Scott, and Shawn Mankowske

WRECK CITY PARTICIPANTS

Aaron Giovannone

Alex Achtem

Alex Kirth

Alex Moon

Alia Shahab

Amy Siegel

Andrea Williamson

Andrew Rodrigues

Aran Wilkinson-Blanc

Bobby V

Bogdan Cheta

Brad Hawkins

Brian Schirk

Buddies in Bad Times Collective (Bogdan Cheta, Latifa Pelletier, Alex Steinitz, and Jill Armstrong)

Burro

Camille Betts

Chris Dadge

Christine Weera

Cimmeron Meyer and Janet Mader

Cody Swinkles

Dana Buzzee

Daniel J. Kirk

Desiree Nault

Eddie Dalrymple

Eddie Nyikes

Eric Heitmann

Eric M. Hamelin

Erika Andriashek

FarLee Mowat

Foon Yap

Fuck Off Dad

Full Spectrum Arts Collective (Brian Batista, Ola Birch,

Eric Smith, Jordan Hollenbeck, Sabrina Zbinden, Jennifer

Buggins, Bruce Watson, and Keelan Baldwin)

Ghostkeeper

Groon

Hannah Doerksen

Hye-Seung Jung

Ivan Ostapenko

Jack Bride

Jason Dyck, Chad Peters, and Dan Zimmerman

Jay Sinclair

JD Mersault

Jeremy Pavka

Jessica McCarrel

Jim Laing and Jordan Paslan

Joe Kelly

Joleen Toner

Jordan Pasiuk

Joshua Alan Fraser

Karly Mortimer

Kataryna Gajewska

Katarzyna Koralewska

Kelly Jacqueline Smith

Kelsey Fraser

Kenna Burima

Kiarra Albina

Kris Lindskroog

Lane Shordee

Larry McDowell

Lauren Simms

Lea Bucknell

Lindsay Sorell and Tammy Primeau

Mackenzie Boyle

Marci Simkulet and Stefanie Wong

Megan Kirk (Jane Trash)

Melissa Croden

Mikhail Miller

Morris Fox

Natalie MacLean

Nate McLeod and Randy Niessen

Palmer Olson

Prospect Human Services

Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi

Rebecca Noone

Renato Vitic

Rob Knudson

Robin Lambert

Ryan Statz

Sarah Adams

Sarah Storteboom

Sarah Van Sloten

Sasha Foster

Seventeen

Stacey Watson

Steven Cottingham

Stevyn Mars & Shelley Arnush

Studio North (Matthew Kennedy & Mark Erickson)

Suki (Kira) Sawatzsky

Suzen Green

Svea Ferguson

Teela Jensen, Catalina Pop, and Katarzyna Gajewska

Terrance J. Houle

The Bum Family (Maezy Dennie, Medina Dennie, Zaiyah Dennie, Miró Demuth, Berlin Demuth, Ocean Demuth, Sol Demuth, Colton Willier, Xstine Cook, Heather Cook, and Amy Willier)

The Holgans

The Pine Tarts (Leslie Bell, Chris Bell, Jesse J. Powell)

The Satisfactory (Mynthia McDaniel & Jane Durham)

This Hisses

Tia Halliday

Tiffany Wollman

Tomas Jonsson

Wayne Garrett

Wednesday Lupypciw

Whitney Ota

WRECK CITY Rec Centre (Laura Lief, Dana Schloss, and Kristi Woo)

Yvonne Kustec