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Your turn: Art with an urbanist twist


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This week's roundup of calls for public engagement includes opportunities to help shape two upcoming plays from Thou Art Here, as well as public hearings on municipal budgets in the region.

Thou Art Here is devising a "site-sympathetic immersive experience" called Untitled Bus Play and is looking for stories to help shape the work. Dayna Lea Hoffmann, the lead artist on the project, said the production will be an opportunity to notice the city through the stories of others. "I'm interested in the idea that when we take the time to be present with our surroundings, places become more than just buildings, streets, or bus stops," Hoffman said. "They become containers for memories, relationships, and moments that have shaped us."

The survey asks respondents how often they take public transit, whether they take it alone or with others, and what they would change about it. It gets more specific, asking whether riders have ever met someone on transit and if they're still in touch; what a rider notices when a bus gets crowded; if there is a bus stop that is particularly meaningful to them; and the most beautiful thing they've ever seen from a bus window.

The project will invite audiences to slow down, pay attention, and rediscover Edmonton through memory, story, and the everyday places we pass by without noticing, the company said. The team has already started working on the play after confirming funding, but will continue to accept submissions until December.

Thou Art Here is also looking to interview people for an upcoming project called The Bluenose OR The Places that Create Art OR The Radical Necessity for Affordable Housing in Edmonton by Andrew Ritchie. The project will be built upon the experiences of Edmonton artists who have lived in the historic house colloquially referred to as The Bluenose in Garneau, "a house that has been the temporary living space of countless Edmonton artists, most of whom have continued or expanded upon their artistic careers following their time inhabiting the residence, and many of whom matriculated at the University of Alberta's Drama Department," the company said.

Ritchie will use verbatim interviews with past residents, visitors, and neighbours to shape the show, which aims to ask big questions about the housing crisis being experienced by many Edmontonians, with a focus on low-income artists. Those interested in sharing their stories can reach out to the company.

People board and disembark the LRT at Stadium Station

Thou Art Here is developing a play based on the experiences of Edmontonians on transit. (Stephanie Swensrude)

Here are some other opportunities to provide input in the Edmonton metro region:

"Your turn" is Taproot's weekly collection of public engagement opportunities in the Edmonton region. Watch this space every week for opportunities to make your views known. If you know of a request for public input, send it to hello@taprootedmonton.ca.