PROPOSITION FOR A CONVERGENT EVOLUTION OF WET PLACES
2021, ongoing
dimensions variable

conceived during 2021 Dark Matter Playgroup artist residency at Agnes Etherington Art Centre, and developed at 2023 Long Days artist residency at Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre

presented as part of Playful Encounters exhibition at Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre, video here

In this project, I propose a convergence of “wet places,” including bathrooms, fountains, saunas and pools, curious how hybrid “wet places” might recover their potential for play, pleasure and sociality.  

The most recent line of research traces the history of a bathhouse that operated in Katarokwi-Kingston during the 1960-70s. Speaking with folks who remembered the bath raised questions about the legibility of the establishement, which, despite being unadvertised and unmarked, survived for 2 decades. I repeat in different mediums the figure of a 4-pointed concave star, imagining a cipher of architectural ornaments—furtive flags, and a coded counterpublic address—for the bath and other queer “wet places.” Each side of the shape evokes a cradle that gathers (as with a parabolic mic) and a vessel that holds what is gathered.

acknowledgements: made with support from the Ontario Arts Council