The Bus House

Photos and Articles!

2010-10-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

photo by LODOE-LAURA HAINES-WANGDA

All the links I've found so far online, featuring the Bus House:

http://www.thatstoronto.com/happy-ttc-customers-at-the-bus-house/2010/10/

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/101001/canada/arts_artdesign_nuit_blanche2010

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2010/09/30/nuit-blanche-2010.html

http://torontoist.com/nuitblanche2010/newestfirst.php

http://www.humberlife.com/arts/a-natural-attention-to-detail/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLGzogdiZ9c

http://www.eyeweekly.com/arts/nuit%20blanche/article/103287--nuit-blanche-2010-review

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loozrboy/5049996388/

http://chocolate-microscope.blogspot.com/2010/10/2nd-year-students-nuit-blanche.html

http://blog.prairievegan.com/2010/10/toronto-3rd-annual-totally-fabulous.html

http://www.crowdreel.com/post/7xxzr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gingermaddy/5048863220/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blueworx/with/5053085576/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gingermaddy/5052637488/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paladinphil/5052921754/in/photostream/

http://thehairyedge.blogspot.com/2010/10/nuit-blanche-toronto-2010.html

http://minouette.blogspot.com/2010/10/nuit-blanche.html

http://walkingwithcamera.blogspot.com/2010/10/nuit-blanche-2010.html

http://bennettathome.co.tv/fashion-questionnaire

http://www.thatstoronto.com/thanks-for-not-smoking/2010/10/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgie_grrl/5053492227/

http://www.photozo.com/forum/showthread.php?p=164054

http://www.thatstoronto.com/News/bushouse/

This makes me so excited! I've been surfing the web for the past 5 days looking for any mention of our project, and there's been a burst of results. I want to thank everyone for their lovely photographs and articles and mention-ings.

2010-10-06T18:31:00.000-07:00

EXPERIENCING TORONTO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpS4RHX1t30
BUS HOUSE at 1:34

Featuring Amy and the Kid's Bus house!

2010-10-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Youtube link to a foam sword fight with the awesome antidote man, at the teen bus shelter! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o5Q_oTV7rs

2010-10-03T17:32:00.000-07:00

Setting up!

Friendly family helpers
"draw your dream house"

This guy took the opportunity to snap a photo while he was saving fare
Sandy's adult bus house
OMG all the writing!
The wolf man I had a foam sword battle with
Tijana's kid's bus house

2010-10-03T17:31:00.001-07:00

The Globe and Mail's Nuit Blanche picks. We're number 6! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/the-globes-nuit-blanche-picks/article1738946/

2010-10-02T12:35:00.001-07:00

NUIT BLANCHE BEGINS AT 1900 HOURS!
See you all there.

2010-09-29T13:54:00.000-07:00

"Nuit Blanche - top trending topic in Canada now"
http://www.tippett.org/2010/09/nuit-blanche-top-trending-topic-in-canada-now/

Stuff. What i still need: red lanterns, some more pillowcases for small throw pillows

2010-09-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

aluminum tape. Shiny! I can use it to cut out stars which I will hang from the ceiling, sweet.

an ikea swing:don't know if I can hang it but maybe we can use the rope and hook system it has for something else.

a roll of thin sheet metal
cable.
a shitload of wooden fruit crates, building materials?

pretty foam flowers, how can I use them?

pretty baskets for someone ?

I can use these for marker/crayon storage for the drawings people will make

Lights!
need more lanterns like this. (what shops on spadina sell them sandy?)
I could put a flashlight in there.

Sandy (or Iva) do you need this lamp?
glow in the dark stars (i have more) and a battery powered candle

pretty fabric (not sure where I would use it but its nice and colourful)

The Carpet!

curtain to cover the entrance, just have to figure out how to attach it,maybe rope ?

Mosquito net to hang above the bench if it's possible. need to try this out.

probably not for me (unless I drape something over it)
Ikea chairs (maybe I should use circular pillows instead of the ones I had on them before?)

It's nice but too big I think (unless someone wants it for themselves) or maybe outside

Possible Toy chest

Pillows (I have more from around my house, this is just a sampling)

the awesome Ikea triple pillow (could be a seat or extra padding for the bed)

needs a pillow case

2010-09-25T00:34:00.000-07:00

Kids Shelter accumulations. ( I Can't use all of it myself so if there's something you need/want we can figure that out.

2010-09-25T00:28:00.000-07:00

2010-09-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

Useful bus shelter photos?

2010-09-18T18:49:00.000-07:00

HEY EVERYBODY. WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE PICTURES OF ALL THE THINGS WE HAVE, AND WRITE DOWN WHAT ELSE WE NEED. Okay? I mean, Nuit Blanche is in 2 weeks. BE PREPARED

TEEN

2010-09-18T18:12:00.000-07:00

Games! I need some more though. I need Tijana's Twister Board!

Funky phone from Goodwill

Flashlights

Blue battery lights from IKEA

Battery powered candle

Makeshift lighting! From my guinea pig's old water holder

Extra small seats

Partial set up. Very partial. Check out that awesome chair I just picked up while my dad was walking the dog, and the shelf has been carried a long way by bicycle. Perfect Size.

Pillows from VV

Puzzle mats for kids.

Child's Egg Chair for TijanaCandy dispenser perhaps?

PROMO

2010-09-18T18:06:00.000-07:00

Promo came. A giant cardboard box with 100 booklets. Oh dear. Must hand them out. But our project and names are in here! Super exciting.

2010-09-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

TODAY WE GOT PROMO POSTCARDS PRINTED! Keep your eyes open, you might find them on bus shelter seats, in coffee shops, notice boards, or Queen Street galleries!

2010-06-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've salvaged a lot of things from my neighbourhood lately, and the latest is an outdoor footstool similar to this one. Except the one I've got is made from really light metal, and plastic mesh. Can be both a table and a chair! Teen or adult room?

I also found this lamp, but my parents have claimed it for their room. It's also really heavy to transport though; marble base.

And I also found a skateboard. I'm going to use this in the teen room just as a prop.

2010-05-19T13:57:00.000-07:00

This is what I picked up on the street the other day, right by my house! Perfect for the kids room? Hey, free furniture. Slowly but surely, we're gathering supplies.

2010-05-17T14:41:00.001-07:00

In the process of creating a facebook group!

We can use this to gather people, have them invite others, and then in turn start a huge email thread perhaps, gathering as many people as we can to inform them about it.

Inspiration for kids' house: tent fort!

2010-05-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

A possible inspiration for the "child" bus shelter comes from color me Katie aka. Katie Sokoler. This artist is always creatively redecorating areas of her house, or areas of her neighbourhood to make it more fun and inspiring, and one day erected a tent in her (hallway? living room?) to "escape the real world for a bit."

I'm loving the mix of rich fabrics, stars, and comfy fabrics that she uses to create that sense of imagination and inspiration I remember having a lot more of as a child.

Inspiration: bus shelter swing

2010-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is a neat video, made by Bruno Taylor for his masters at Central Saint Martins for industrial design. The whole point is to add play to public spaces, and to use industrial objects to create fun in people's lives. It's sort of similar to what we are doing with our bus house, except instead of installing a swing (which would totally crush it, seeing as the shelter only has three load bearing pillars and is probably not strong enough to support the weight of a person), we are providing comfortable and snazzy home decor.

Another project Bruno is working on is a bouncing bench, which definitely sounds more exciting than a regular, static bench does. His website can be found here.

The point of all this

2010-05-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

So you may have seen some of the interesting shizz going down in this blog and wondered (if you're like me and think a little too hard about these things): what's the point?

There are two points actually, both of which come from two totally different ways to look at art.

The main idea behind this project follows along with the urban playground movement: a series of artistic projects and improv events around the world that seek to reclaim public space, and bring fun and personality to otherwise bland structures and infrastructures. Wouldn't it be fun to wait for the bus in a quirky living room environment, instead of in a structure that is almost purely functional? Wouldn't it be great to make a bus shelter something that greatly improves someone's day because of the experience it creates?

The second layer of this project explores the idea of home, and refers back to more "traditional" installation art of the 70s that seeks to sculpt an encompassing experience and intellectual theme. Through this exploration, we wish to show how different ideas of a home that come through different life "stages": the child stage, where anything is possible, and a dream home is something outrageous and unlimited by pragmatism; the young adult, where life and furniture are mismatched, and the decor is very grounded and dictated by use; and the adult stage, where a lot of the elements are sculpted based on others' demands and expectation, and many of the elements are there to impress upon an invisible audience. The categories are not really based on age, rather they are based on an archetypal view of that life stage - for example, someone who is 80 could look at life (and furniture) through the eyes of a child. The goal of using the archetypes is to find a way to address the different ways in which people look at a home based on how they see the world around them.

Both ideas represent two totally different ways of looking at installation, and when used together will create an interesting layered experience. The reason for the project's existence is to add that sense of fun and awesome to the life of a typical bus user, and the decorating scheme was picked in such a way that anyone could have a more intellectual take on the project if they wished.

All this being said, an art project does not by any means need to have a point to exist. This blurb is just here for those future art historians who are totally checking us out.

2010-05-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

VALUE VILLAGE EXPEDITION!

$7.99

Our awesome couch sofa. That we can't actually carry anywhere, cause we don't drive...

$14.99 (Dimensions Sandy?)

The curtain type thing. (adult) $5.00

Teddy!

And all the other really odd toys we found.

2010-05-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/90154371

2010-05-06T10:15:00.001-07:00

The bus shelter locations!

Some more links,Wooo

2010-05-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

http://thewondrous.com/unusual-yet-creative-bus-shelters/

http://ageingoverlanders.co.uk/?page_id=282

http://www.youtube.com/user/blackfrog79#p/a/u/1/nDqbb0eHVXA
(a bad video but a good idea)

I will try to upload some pics of the Moscow subway soon.
maybe we can post pics of interesting furniture we find too?

2010-05-01T23:47:00.000-07:00

YO GUYS. UPLOAD STUFF SOMETIME. I LOVE READING NEW BLOG POSTS. THEY MAKE ME HAPPPPPPY. ANY IDEAS AND LINKS OR ANYTHING IS APPRECIATED

: )

2010-05-01T23:45:00.000-07:00

2010-05-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

BUS HOUSE PANORAMA!

Improved panorama! I'm trying to make the photo more appealing for our event profile.

2010-05-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

Before...

After!

2010-05-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

This looks really shitty, but I just tried to incorporate our ideas on to it, to see kinda what it would look like....yeah.

2010-04-30T18:47:00.000-07:00

INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

1. KIDS: "Your dream home"
Giving kids paper and markers/crayons to draw their imaginary houses. We'll pin the drawings on the strings hanging on the glass of the bus shelter.

(For this one, should we have ONLY kids create drawings for it, or perhaps anyone can draw their dream home? What do you think?)

2. TEENS: "What home means to you"
Draping drular sheets over the outside glass panels, and hanging sharpies for people to write with.
This will make a great interactive aspect, and it'll create an art piece after wards.

3. ADULTS: Have a large printed out map of Toronto, (outlines) and have people place a dot where they live. By the end of the night, we'll have hundreds of dots; connecting the city together.

2010-04-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

The inspiration: Bobby's Bus House in Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland.

The world's coolest bus stops: http://www.urlesque.com/2009/09/10/the-worlds-coolest-bus-stops/

2010-04-29T18:52:00.001-07:00

2010-04-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

And here's where it starts.