Mandate and History of Media Undefined (mediaundefined.ca)

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1 Profile of Organization (max. 1 page) Mandate and History of Media Undefined (mediaundefined.ca) Vision Media UnDefined (MUD) is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to fostering community and collaborative engagement through cross-disciplinary artistic practices. Our projects employ innovative community engagement strategies that connect socially, economically, and culturally diverse communities with practicing professional artists. MUD strives towards achieving artistic excellence by creating projects in which public participation and artistic creation are mutually interdependent. The purpose of Media UnDefined is to: To work with professional artists and arts organizations to design and implement community and collaborative arts-based projects, through local, national, and international partnerships. To create environments and pedagogical models that cultivate dialogue, self-expression, inquiry, collaboration, and experimentation. To exhibit or install projects in non-traditional publicly accessible venues. To encourage reflective practices and ongoing artistic development. History of Media Undefined: Media Undefined was established in 2004 by artists Jaimie Robson, Maya Ersan and Sepideh Saii, and was registered as a non-profit society in MUD has developed and produced community-engaged art projects in East Vancouver, building relationships with local residents, emerging and professional artists, and arts and community organizations. MUD's projects include: Our Community Story (2005), a living history project involving artists, youth, and seniors in the Hastings Sunrise Neighbourhood. OCS resulted in site-responsive works in 16mm film, stop motion animation, and audio. Four long-established shops were transformed into cinemas in which films about the shop keepers and their patrons were screened. A street corner became an outdoor cinema where an animation about the waterfront was projected, and four cafes were installed with sculptural jukebox-style story-stations, inviting visitors to listen to excerpts of stories as told by long time community residents. A menu of stories to choose from and a large-scale archival image of the neighbourhood accompanied each story station. Global Studio (2006), hosted by the University of British Columbia s School of Architecture. Media Undefined provided artistic mentorship to a team of international architecture and design post-graduate students. The mentorship involved exploring and responding to the inter-dependant dynamics of the Strathcona area. The project resulted in an outdoor screening of a stop-motion animation piece in a vacant neighbourhood lot. Intersections ( ), a community public art project that will engage professional artists with youth, and seniors from the multiple communities in the Strathcona/Downtown Eastside neighbourhoods. Intersections will explore the historical foundations for the layered geographical, social, and cultural intersections in the area. Intersections will provide professional artistic mentorship to eight youth interns, ages Through a series of hands-on workshops professional mentoring artists will provide Youth Interns with training in a range of projection-based media (eg. film/video, stop motion animation, live animation, and shadow puppetry). The project will culminate in a program of site-specific projections in local venues. Watermarked ( ), will produce and present a series of three sight-responsive animated films about the living history of the East Vancouver waterfront. These films will be publicly projected within the secure area of the Port of Vancouver. Pandemonium (2006-ongoing), a media arts project centre which is currently being developed in Istanbul. Pandemonium s focus is on building relationships between Canadian and Turkish artists.

2 Project Description (max. 2 pages) Synopsis Watermarked is series of three animated films about the residents and laborers whose lives have been shaped by their relationships and interactions with the East Vancouver Waterfront. Watermarked depicts a non-linear narrative about life and work along the East Vancouver waterfront over the past 130 years. The project is divided into three phases; Phase One (2006) Project Development: Research; fundraising; building relationships with the Vancouver Port Authority, port companies, and local residents and businesses; selection of site for public presentation; locating and gathering archival and contemporary footage; interviews with long time residents and port workers; site tours of the secure area of the Port of Vancouver including; production of Watermarked trailer (view at Phase Two ( ) Production of animated films: Digitizing and editing of interviews; conceptual development; storyboarding; creation of imagery; shooting and editing of animation; music composition; post production. Phase Three ( ) Public Presentation: Confirmation of public presentation dates, development of technical plan, rental of projection equipment, publicity, website development. We are seeking support for Phase Two of the overall project: the production of animated films. The three animated films will focus on: 1) The visual evolution of the East Vancouver waterfront over the past 130 years. Tracking the transformation of the landscape, this film will investigate the exterior industrial forms that have come to define the East Vancouver skyline, as well as their inner workings. 2) The multiple livelihoods and labor histories connected to the waterfront, and how technology has affected change among these communities over the years. 3) The personal relationship that residents and workers have had with the water, and how different generations have been affected by technology, as well as by increasing security measures that have virtually eliminated direct public access to the water. Method: This series of site-responsive animated films will be based on a selection of the stories told by working and retired port laborers, waterfront residents, and cultural communities whose livelihoods have depended on resources provided by the water. Public and private photo archives contributed by waterfront residents, port companies, and local businesses will also be integrated into the animated films. Presentation: Through site-specific presentation, this series of films will be temporarily integrated with the architectural forms that define the East Vancouver waterfront. Industrial structures such as silos and grain elevators will become the backdrop for a series of site-specific projections at the Port of Vancouver s Ballantyne Terminal. This event is being supported by the Port of Vancouver, which has agreed to allow temporary access to an area that is otherwise inaccessible to the public. By presenting in this venue Watermarked aims to cultivate dialogue and inspire public curiosity about the relationship that East Vancouver residents have with their local geography, and with the multiple histories that define the diverse neighbourhoods situated along the waterfront.

3 Project Background and Goals Early industrialization of the East Vancouver waterfront has led to the development of a cluster of primarily working class neighbourhoods in the area. While the neighbourhoods of Hastings Sunrise, Strathcona, and the Downtown Eastside are situated on the waterfront, their residents have minimal waterfront access. Industrial development, combined with heightening security measures are gradually reducing community contact with the northern-most strip of land that has historically connected these neighbourhoods with the water. In recent years, the automation of labor within the Port of Vancouver has significantly reduced the number of workers employed, and has altered the relationship that existing workers have with the waterfront. While historically the waterfront was a primary source of employment for young people in East Vancouver, recent automation has virtually eliminated this option, further reducing the connection that youth and the community have with their local geography. Watermark aims to: Use media (video, film, and animation) as tool to contextualize the multiple local histories connected to the East Vancouver waterfront that are not immediately apparent or widely acknowledged; Deepen public awareness, understanding, and appreciation of the significance of how the history of this particular geography has shaped this neighbourhood and the lives of the people who live and work here; Connect the living history of the waterfront with a wider audience; Involve professional artists who have a dedicated interest in local, site-responsive media.

4 Anticipated outcomes of the projected (max. 1 page) Anticipated Outcomes: Site-Specific Screenings Watermark will be presented in 2009 at the Vancouver Port Authority s Ballantyne Terminal (accessible via the Clark Drive or McGill Street overpass). The screening event will be approximately one hour in length, and will run a total of six to eight times, with two screening per night. Exact dates and screening times are being determined through consultation with Vancouver Port Authority staff. The VPA will provide site access and security during each scheduled screening. Public Screenings Following the site-specific screenings the three films will be compiled into a single presentation in DVD format, which can be screened at other venues throughout the city including Video In Studios and Pacifique Cinemateque. Watermark will be submitted to national and international film and new-media festivals. Publication A short publication will be produced for distribution during all public screenings. The publication will feature archival imagery of the port, imagery from the animated films, anecdotal quotes from storytellers, a description of the project, artist statements and acknowledgement of all donors and funding bodies. Website A Watermark website will be hosted by Media Undefined (mediaundefined.ca). Additional Information Please view support material <

5 Media Undefined Staff & Board of Directors Media Undefined Staff Jaimie Robson Artistic Director East Pender Street, Vancouver BC V5L 1X3 Media Undefined Board of Directors Name Profession Contact Elizabeth McKenzie Art Theory/Critical Studies Professor Kaslo Street, Vancouver BC Louise Elmes Non-Profit Housing Development 2633 Dundas Street, Vancouver BC V5K 1R1 Alison Maddaugh Landscape Architect, Artist # Adanac Street, Vancouver BC V5L 2E2 Zahra Habib East 13 th Avenue, Vancouver BC V5T 2L6 Karl Fousek Art History Student Wall Street, Vancouver BC V5K 1A4