For our final DIVA 200 assignment, Louisa and I (Michael) decided to create a work using coloured sidewalk chalk on Granville Island. Louisa expressed an interest in the idea of chalk drawings and I, with my fascination in street art, also thought it would make for a fun and exciting project. We met outside on the northside of the market on the stone steps facing the water and drew for approximately three hours, covering a corner of the steps and its adjecent length and width extending to the wood. Although we did bring material to work off, we did not use them much at all. The piece essentially consists of a montage of different images and subject, from loose depictions of nature such as animals, trees, and water to Lady Gaga and dragons. In this collaboration we didn't discuss what we were going to draw ahead of time either. We drew into and over each other's work as to create a cohesive piece.
For the video aspect of the project, we filmed the process of doing the chalk drawings. In addition, we're creating a panorama of the workâsince it would be too large to photograph regularly anyway. As for incorporating the concept of urban intervention into the project, the drawings and our "performance" are a playful urban intervention in themselves. It was an extremely nice day and the island was bustling. People inside the market watched us from the window seats; despite the cold, many sat down outside to watch us; kids seemed mesmerized by our work; and some passersby even stopped to take pictures. I personally had never had the opportunity nor really ever considered (seriously at least) using chalk as a medium, but all of that changed after we had finished. Yes, it was uncomfortably cold at times, though I think we were having too much fun to realize we couldn't feel our own hands most of the time. Thank God we ran out of chalk because if we didn't, I suspect we would have been there till the entire area was covered.