Art of the Danforth Innovators’ Fair: A series of programless pavilions part of Art of the Danforth festival

May 20 to June 10

East Lynn Park (Woodbine & Danforth, Toronto)

Join us Sunday May 20th at Dusk in East Lynn for the opening of the Innovators’ Fair.

Windsor Redux – Tip Sheets and Speed Dates

Speed Dating for Storeowners

Storefront Success Stories in Windsor

DoUC is proud to be part of the Jubilee show currently on at the Harbourfront Centre, celebrating Her Royal Majesty’s Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee. DoUC are not Monarchists but are instead Monarchy opportunists, and what better way to celebrate this ideology then by mapping the historic travels of The Queen.

Land, Air, and Sea – Movement of Queen Elizabeth II 1952 – 2012, maps the instant historic event that is a visit or invitation from The Queen. The map tracks The Queen’s relationship with the world. Her commonwealth visits, state visits, and the lucky leaders who were invited for dinner. The map also acts as a timeline using line widths to denote the time of the trips – the thicker the the line the more recent the trip. The map begins to reveal the political history Her Majesty has witnessed, as well as Her preferences – Canada being the most visited country at 27 times, and visits with a number of different dictators.

The show runs until July 15^th and we are hoping that Prince Charles and Camila pass by when they are in Toronto on the Victoria Day Weekend.

DoUC would like to thank Pat Macaulay and Carly Waito for their invitation and assistance with the exhibition.

Between 2002 and 2007 multinational corporations purchased the final six Canadian-owned steel companies. Two of these acquisitions were for Hamilton-based operations; both with over a century long tradition of steel production. Each acquisition was approved by the Canadian Federal Government under the guidelines set out in the Investment Canada Act that requires a ‘net-benefit’ for Canada. US Steel’s 2007 purchase of Stelco completed this series of acquisitions.

The Myth of 1946 has Stelco’s workforce striking to earn recognition as the first collective bargaining unit for labour in the city of Hamilton; Local 1005 (ten-‘O’-five) is born. Labour organizing then spread throughout the rest country. Local 1005 is but a fragment of the United Steelworkers of America. USWA as a union is supposed to protect the contractually defined rights of its members regardless of the borders that divide them. However, in a contemporary North America defined less by NAFTA and more by the Buy American Provisions of the Obama administration, can one wonder about USWA’s commitment to a Canadian Local?

US Steel’s purchase of Stelco was approved based on their commitment to protect and grow employment levels, production levels, as well as pension funding. US Steel has undermined each of these commitments – reducing US Steel Canada’s Hamilton Works employment levels to 1/3’rd of their 2007 levels, and perpetrating multiple plant shut downs (the first occurring in 2009). Also in 2009, in an unheard of maneuver, the Canadian Federal Government brought a lawsuit against US Steel for their breach of these commitments.

In November 2010 US Steel locked Local 1005 out of the Hamilton Works plant. 1005 members had been working for three-months under an expired contract. Immediately prior to the lockout US Steel presented what they described as a final contract to 1005 through an appointed mediator and demanded it be put to the membership for a vote. 1005’s bargaining unit did not bring the contract to the membership for consideration. The contract outlined the de-indexing of pensions and introduced a completely different pension structure for new hires; changing it from defined benefit to defined contribution. Indexing is a process that allows pensions to maintain their value by growing at the same rate of inflation. US Steel has been unwilling to meet with Local 1005’s bargaining committee until these first two concessions are made. US Steel is seeking to create two tiers of employees and drastically effect the future financial viability of Hamilton’s 9000 Stelco/US Steel Canada pensioners.

Where are we today?

US Steel is Neo-Liberal – their CEO, John Surma, worked in the Federal Reserve during the Reagan years. Their power structure is littered with former military talent. They disassemble existing negotiated agreements with both nation states and workers. Neo-liberalism is not a responsible ideology – it has never been responsible, will never be responsible, and was never supposed to be responsible. The situation between US Steel Canada and Local 1005 is nothing extraordinary. It is part of the regular process of a business maximizing profit through the path of least resistance. We as a society champion this ideology and only notice it when it exists for us personally.

Spaces of Negotiation is a response to the observation of US Steel Canada’s refusal to meet with Local 1005 and negotiate their next contract. It is based on a series of interviews with current and retired members of Local 1005 – meant as an analytic tool to be applied to the lockout. It traces the seeping impact of the lockout on the lives of the workers, their families, and the city of Hamilton. Some of these spaces include: The mediator’s boardroom, the Union Hall, and the Wilcox Gates. What is being negotiated in each space is different but is always related to the lockout – even if the topic is the same, its implications are different. Holding the constellation of these spaces together brings clarity to the situation, while still not a true representation it is closer to reality then ideology.

Since successfully striking to be recognized in 1946, Local 1005 has negotiated 17 contracts, with a pattern of striking every few negotiations. As of this month they have been locked out 11 months.

DoUC, Sept 2011

Where are today? Hammering out what’s happening to Steel. Feb 2012, Hamilton Spectator

THE SITES

The Boardroom

If a hierarchy of the different spaces of negotiation exists then the boardroom is the pinnacle. It is the space where negotiation becomes legitimate and in this negotiation legitimacy is questioned immediately. US Steel Canada and Local 1005 have at this point have had no real legitimate negotiations. Local 1005 was given an option days before the lockout stating that in order for contract negotiations even to begin they would have to make concessions in regards to their pension plan; accepting the US Steel standard that every other operation has at this point adopted. By engaging the local in this way US Steel Canada has attempted to redefine the terms of negotiation from an ideological (insert standard neo-liberal rhetoric backed up by consulting reports) viewpoint or as one Local 1005 has put it “US Steel is not negotiating but dictating.” The Local has rejected this concession and has instead offered a counter proposal of known as “stand pat” meaning they want the current contract to remain in tact until both sides can figure out how the best way to negotiate can occur in world where capitalism is continually avoiding crises. This was rejected and the local has been locked out by US Steel Canada ever since.

Access to the boardroom means access to negotiation. It is a space where the needs and wants of both the Local and US Steel Canada can be discussed towards a legitimate (legitimate means legal) agreement where if ideologies are continued to be the guiding force in these negotiations there will be a loser- but it will be legal and binding.

The Wilcox Gates a.k.a THE LINE

The line is a reactionary space and only appears during times of necessity. This is expressed through both its architecture and the behaviour of its inhabitants. Its architecture is makeshift, shelters are built with tarps, skids, and other pieces of found material. These shelters serve as both meeting and break areas from the required shifts workers must complete in order to receive their strike pay. The line itself is formed by the bodies of the workers and acts as blockade from those wanting to enter the U.S. Steel Canada property. This blockade has a time limit. Through contractual agreements the workers are allowed to control the movement 15 minutes at a time per vehicle wishing to enter the site. Workers accomplish this by walking around in circle until the time expires, where then the circle parts and the vehicle wishing to enter is allowed to pass. Unlike the other spaces the line is a constant reminder of the lockout because its existence is tied to it. Even if workers do not discuss the lockout they are here because of it. Along the fence time is kept by inserting coffee cups into the chain link fence surrounding the property forming the number of days the workers have been locked out.

The Union Hall

Since the start of the lockout 1005’s executive and membership meet in the Union Hall every Thursday to addresses the past week’s developments. There is seating for 75, with overflow standing room. The executive sits along the far wall at a raised table that spans the width of the room. Vinyl banners with slogans like “Manufacturing Not Nation Wrecking” decorate the walls. The meeting opens with an update from the President. A microphone is stationed in the centre of the room the membership use it to pose questions, comments, or suggestions to the executive.

The Bar

Retired bar mill workers meet for ½ price wings and beer at a pub on Hamilton’s mountain. Forty years of shift work produces clear camaraderie. There are approximately 9000 Stelco pensioners and 900 current US Steel Hamilton Works employees. Each current worker will have one vote towards any contract Local 1005’s bargaining unit negotiates with US Steel. As it currently stands US Steel will not meet to negotiate a contract until indexing for pensions is given up. Indexing means that the pension grows to match inflation; or that the pension’s value remains constant in spite of inflation. While Local 1005 has remained insistant on not giving up pension indexing, this represents a situation where nine-hundred individuals are making a choice that will effect nine-thousand.

The Kitchen Table

The lockout means loss of income for each worker. Each worker receives strike pay and employment insurance – which amounts to approximately what the pensioners live on. Money has brought the lockout into the home, requiring the worker to undertake negotiations within relationships outlined by other kinds of contracts. While there isn’t a standard description of a Local 1005 member there is a decade division between the older generation and younger generation caused by a Stelco hiring freeze. The old guard may own their homes with grown-up families; the younger generation may not. The kitchen table is the iconic location for a couple to negotiate their finances. For the older generation the discussion may focus on what retirement looks like with a castrated pension. For the younger guard it may mean a discussion about keeping their home.

-Text & STEEL not STEAL infographic published in MONU magazine December 2011-
-Photo Documentation taken at Workers Arts and Heritage Centre September 2011-
-Spaces of Negotiation was supported by the Ontario Arts Council through the Artist in the Workplace grant-

The winter is finished and with it the first leg of DoUC’s work with Migrating Landscapes…Next stop Venice!

In the meantime Spring is a busy season for DoUC…With 5 exhibitions that aim to please.

Pre-occupied – featuring Steel not Steal, March 11th – April 1st

Jubilee at the Harbourfront Centre, Opening April 20th – Mapping the Queen and other royal situations

Art of the Danforth, Art of the Danforth Innovators’ Fair – A Series of programless pavilions, Opening May 20th

Doors Open Toronto, May 26th – Timeline of Currency

Move Exhibition, Evergreen @ the Brickworks, Another Way to Eat- Food Diffused, Opening in June, 2012

Stay tuned for more details.

Part whirlwind exhibition, part architectural competition, Migrating Landscapes has been a process to collect regional reflections on how the experience of migration impacts design.

Since November 2, 2011 seven regional Migrating Landscapes exhibitions have cropped up across Canada; opening first in Vancouver and moving East to Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Toronto. From these seven exhibitions a sampling of 30 architects under 45 have been selected to present their recorded oral histories and sculptural models in Winnipeg for the National Exhibition.

A jury of four nationally recognized architects, artists, and critics, spent two days with the entries. On opening night 18 winners of this final leg were announced. The winners represent the final selection of who will be exhibited in the Canadian Pavilion at the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Throughout this process DoUC has been exhibiting timelines about the development of each host city through the lens of migration. For the National exhibition we are presenting a 20’ by 4’6” timeline of the figures and filters controlling entrance and settlement within Canada. We are also presenting a floor projection that fluidly transitions between 7 different map projections of the earth.

Starting in 1828 our timeline documents the people and tools used to legislate otherness within Canada. The top of the timeline presents a portrait of each Canadian Prime Minister and the Ministers responsible for immigration, and aboriginal portfolios. The middle stream of information explores the evolution of the Indian Act and its many amendments and legislation that defines the conditions for immigrating to Canada and for receiving citizenship.  The bottom is a curated sampling of information from our past seven timelines – it’s a chronological scatter shot of regional events that have shaped Canadian urban form. This timeline is a culmination of our past 6 months of research.

While in Winnipeg, DoUC gave a lunchtime lecture for the department of Architecture, at the University of Manitoba. DoUC is grateful to Jae-Sung Chon of the University of Manitoba for allowing us to travel to Winnipeg,  and  Conor Beach-Nelson for hosting us during our stay.

Migrating Landscape Organizers’ seventh and final regional exhibition is now open at Brookfield Place (181 Bay St) in Toronto. The exhibition includes the personal videos and architectural models of more than twenty-five teams of architects.   In usual form DoUC has completed a timeline for exhibition exploring the development of Toronto through the lens of migration. Winning models from each of the 7 regional exhibitions will brought to Winnipeg for the National Exhibition which opens at the Winnipeg Art Gallery on March 15th.

ML_ON exhibition runs from Feb 6 – 24, 2012

the Story Begins…

formation of North York Center’s skyline…

former Ontario Premiere Mike Harris reflecting on the impact of his political career…

Project 1: World and Home 

Appeared in Onsite 25 - Identity . An attempt to reflect on Canada’s illustrious past and fledgling present. By comparing Canada’s actions on the world stage and the policies of the CMHC we come to a quick conclusion that the bold thinking that once made this country great has been left in the past.

Below is the text which accompanied the graphic.

World and Home

A comparison of Canada’s post WWII global identity and major CMHC events.

In 1946 the CMHC (Canada Housing and Mortgage Corporation) was founded to do two important things: House returning soldiers from the second world war and lead the nations housing strategy.

A bold task for a bold nation, this is what Canada was. We were world leaders not because of what we said but because of what we did, this was Canada’s global identity- action. This identity permeated through Canada and in particular the policies and actions of the CMHC. The World at Home is more than a comparison between Canada’s post war identity and the CMHC, but is instead a reminder of what Canada was and what it could be again.

A look into our recent past reveals not a nation of hockey loving, Tim Hortons coffee drinkers, who dwell on a vast plain of sprawling suburbs, and are passive by nature; but a people who acted on their values. It reveals a country who initiated the UN peacekeeping force, came out strongly against the Vietnam War (Then took in over 69 000 refugees from Indo-China), and housed over 30 000 war veterans and their families who returned home from fighting WWII. It is a country that experimented with housing and density (Habitat 67′) and shared its housing knowledge with the world (The CMHC was awarded a UN peace medal in 1982 for sharing its practices on housing, building and planning with the Economic Commission for Europe). It was a country built on action.

Identity Now

Canada is not what it was. It no longer leads the world and in most cases, does not even follow. The housing situation in the country is embarrassing. The Toronto Community Housing Corporation is in shambles and is being threatened with privatization and in Vancouver, housing prices have soared to beyond the ridiculous(Ironically a Second World War Bungalow is going for $889 000). On the world stage we are constantly being condemned for our lack of action on climate change; and for the first time since the UN was established, Canada has gone more than a decade without a seat on the security council.

The Canada of the future will for now have to take inspiration from its past. The Diefenbaker’s and Pearson’s of this country are long since passed. The world leader that was Canada has rested for too long on it laurels and is not even a shadow of its former self. Political dithering, uninspired urbanism, and a country intent on thinking about meaningless economies, while productive ones disappear. This however is the Canada of the present, and moving forward if we do take one thing from our past it seems abundantly clear- action!

Action(s)

Planners and Architects can no longer sit on the sidelines, we must get our hands dirty in the everyday. Housing solutions in this country can no longer wait for non existent government procurements or high priced clients. We must start creating new typologies unsolicited, which deal with liveable densities, associated economic models, and a multicultural ideology. We must rethink the economy beyond consumerism. Creating new design solutions for both the goods and services we consume, meaning, planning for and designing the spaces of where this production will occur; and finally maintaining/protecting our cities productive lands from speculation.

The Graph

World and Home is an exercise in understanding relationships. The hope is that the reader extends this chart, adding on new bits of information. What if we over-layed immigration numbers? Existing housing stocks? Or even the history of the Canadian deficit? Relationships like identity reveal themselves through both time and experience. It is important to note that the only event which directly corresponds to each other is EXPO 67′, where Moshe Safdie’s CMHC funded Habitat project was showcased.

Project 2: Poster from Extraction to Reaction, Visualizar ’11

You may remember that this past summer DoUC was very fortunate to lead a project at Visualizar ’11 at the Prado Media Lab in Madrid (you can see the full project here ). The following is a poster which was created for the project.

Migrating Landscapes Organization has a booth designed and built by Department of Unusual Certainties as a part of IDS 2012′s Offsite Onsite exhibition at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Constructed using ABS piping and tarp, it is light, easy to erect, collapse, and move to its next required site. The Climate Migrant Pavilion performs three tasks. It informs IDS visitors about Migrating Landscapes- Canada’s entry into the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture. Provides updates from world citizens residing in Vancouver, Calgary and Halifax*. And gives the climate migrant access to a select range of goods they may need for their journey; including, canned goods, wadding boots, an acid rain responsive umbrella**, and a form of dignity.

Migrating Landscapes Ontario Regional Exhibition is opening February 6th at Brookfield Place in Toronto.

*The projections present MLO project renderings, Migrating Landscapes contestant’s migration story videos, and DoUC’s timelines from Vancouver, Calgary, and Halifax.

**The concept and creation of the acid rain responsive umbrella is by Kar Yan Cheung.

Climate Migrant Pavilion was created with the support of the Migrating Landscapes Organization, Design Exchange, Aliya Tejani, Natasha Basacchi and Kar Yan Cheung.

Natasha listens to a Migrating Landscapes contest’s migration story and watches DoUC’s Calgary timeline

An MLO rendering of Migrating Landscapes at the Canadian Pavilion in Venice

Detail from a Migrating Landscapes contestant’s migration story video

Detail from DoUC’s Migrating Timelines: Calgary

ML_QC is the first Migrating Landscapes exhibition we’ve been able to attend.  We arrived to witness the jury considering the architectural landscape/model installations.  The installation was suppose to use an additional  40000 lbs of wood. With the exhibition taking place on the second floor of Parisian Laundry there was concern that the structure of the building couldn’t support it- MLO improvised another approach.  The undulating thick wooden pillars were replaced with these slightly raised plywood platforms that marked the intended footprint of the first approach. It maintained the immersive quality of the installation while also making the models very approachable.

Here are some photos of our timeline and map projection video from the ML_QC opening; we’ll be posting pictures from Halifax, and Saskatoon at a later tine

ML_AB

ML_BC