Neighbourly

Windows, electronics, projectors, mixed media
2019–2024
Installation

Neighbourly (formerly Make Strange) is a theatrical installation that catches viewers in the crossfire of confrontation. It is a repeating dialogue of action, a silent scene that teeters between slapstick and sinister—two windows that mirror some of the challenges we face individually, communally and globally.

The scene is to some unnerving, to others hilarious, and has raised discussion around topics of trust, privacy and ownership. The inspiration for Neighbourly comes from my time living on Squatters Row on the outskirts of Whitehorse, where many anecdotes and experiences share an overarching feeling of individualism with a dash of mistrust.

Squatters Row has a long history in the Yukon, and like its name suggests, the original residences were all squatting on government land. Here they built makeshift shelters, grew gardens and raised families. Squatting was not an uncommon practice in the Yukon, until the government made it increasingly more difficult, they pressured and relocated many, yet the Squatters Row residences would not be bullied away from their homes. After years of turmoil, the city conceded and sold them the land for a nominal fee. Some payed, others didn’t. The actors in the film are long time Squatters Row residences and, my neighbours.