Our Neighbourhood

Nat Cann and I have begun our first collaboration: an ongoing series of workshops and art installations that bring printmaking into a third dimension.

This is a response to Nat’s project, The Neighbourhood, which he created during a residency at Atelier Imago in 2021 (fun fact: this was how we met!). This project “explored the city’s narrative of deteriorating housing situation, abandonment, and still standing communities” (Nat Cann re: The Neighbourhood) from Nat’s outsider perspective.

Our Neighbourhood is not only a response to this original project, but also a foil to the eye of an interloper by allowing public participants to create, curate, and cherish their own communities; in particular, rural communities which are so often overlooked in comparison to bustling centers.

Our Neighbourhood will unfold via workshops and installations in different communities throughout the Maritimes and beyond. Using their readymade DIY house templates, Caitlin and Nat will teach different methods of printmaking in various communities to facilitate the creation of hand-printed, three-dimensional paper houses that will be affixed to lights in a series of art installations. Workshop participants will be invited to create images that reflect their perception of their community, which, in turn, will create unique “Neighbourhoods” for each installation. After, Nat will transform each Neighbourhood into a singular unit, creating a series of lighted sculptural pieces that can later be installed alongside one another, representing each community we’ve worked with.

Our Neighbourhood: Radiant Rural Halls, 2023

A Trip to The Island

In March 2023, Nat Cann and I packed up Woodward the Woodzilla press and went on a little road trip to PEI for This Town is Small for a two-day workshop and art installation at Radiant Rural Halls.
We set up at the Glenaladale Schoolhouse: a recently restored historic building in Tracadie Cross, PEI. We were delighted to meet Evan Furness and Monique Martin, who were also exhibiting installations at the Schoolhouse and were delightful neighbours over the course of the weekend.
Workshop: Day One

Nat and I were lucky to have such a fantastic group of creatives join us for the workshop! On the first day, participants were introduced to linocut printing. Each person chose one of five house templates that Nat and I had created ahead of time, adding their own details to the templates before transferring their images onto the lino. After carving out their lino matrixes, participants learned how to ink up and print them on my Woodzilla printing press, leaving the prints to dry overnight.
Workshop: Day Two

We reconvened the next day to colour, cut out, and assemble the prints into three-dimensional structures. Participants cut out the windowpanes and some doors on their houses, then affixed the finished creations to string lights, allowing the light to shine through their linocut-printed houses.
The Installation

At the end of the workshop, we installed the piece: a little neighbourhood of lit-up, handmade houses that represented each participant’s feelings toward their community.