WESTERN FRONT – Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre

Description:

Craft Parlour was a series of six workshops on the intersection of craft-based artistic practices and writing led by artist-in-residence, Rebecca La Marre, alongside invited guests, and a working group of ten participants: Rosamunde Bordo, Amelia Butcher, Xinwei Che, Hannah Crosson, Sun Forest, Amy Gogarty, Chloë Lalonde, Christian Newby, Emiliano Sepulveda, and Julia Wong. The working group was assembled to attend each session and think, read, make, and play with the entanglement of text and material. Members of the working group also had the opportunity to present their own research during the workshops, and publish work in a digital publication produced at the conclusion of the project.

For the first workshop, La Marre provided an introduction to her practice and the intentions of the workshop, and invited each member of the working group to introduce themselves and their work.

Following this La Marre led the group through a series of reading and writing exercises, which included the use of a prepared circuit of writing stations around the Grand Luxe Hall that prompted participants to experiment with various surfaces, materials, and scales. This was followed by a group discussion about the ideas surfaced from partaking in the exercises.

A circle of people sit in the Grand Luxe Hall and read off of printed handouts.

Rosamunde Bordo reads from a printed handout and scratches her head with her left hand. She wears a beige knit sweater and is seated next to Emiliano Sepulveda, who balances his reading material on his knee. He wears a red puffer vest layered over a knit zip-up sweater.

Four femme-presenting people sit and read in the Grand Luxe Hall.

Christian Newby writes on a whiteboard placed on a wooden lectern. He leans on the surface with his chin resting in his left hand.

Julia Wong kneels on the wooden floor of the Grand Luxe Hall and writes on a roll of craft paper. They wear a black medical mask, a grey sweater, and pink pants. A teacup, coloured pencil crayons, and a cartoonishly large graphite pencil are placed on the ground next to them.

Amy Gogarty sits at a grey folding table while writing on a yellow pad of paper. Her reading glasses are propped on her head, and she wears a grey cardigan, dark pants, and hiking shoes.

Xinwei Che writes on an erasable surface taped to the wall of the Grand Luxe Hall. Her back is to the camera, and she wears a black and white gingham shirt under a black dress, and a pink scarf.

Rebecca La Marre uses a gold marker to write on a standing plexiglass surface. Her hair is pulled into a low bun, and she wears a white top with a grid pattern.

Emiliano Sepulveda kneels on the floor of the Grand Luxe Hall while using a black wooden box as a writing surface. He wears his hair in a braid, and is dressed in a red puffer vest layered over a knit sweater.

Rosamunde Bordo writes on an erasable surface taped to a baffle in the Grand Luxe Hall. Her back is to the camera, and she stands with her left hand on her hip. She’s dressed in a beige sweater and black trousers.

Lauren Lavery writes on an erasable surface taped to a wooden lectern laid on its side. She sits on the floor, and wears a beige sweater vest over a brown long sleeve shirt, and blue jeans.

Josephine Lee writes at a grey folding table in the Grand Luxe Hall. She wears a beige knit toque, glasses, and a red sweater.

Captions:

Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, photo documentation, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Rosamunde Bordo and Emiliano Sepulveda at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, photo documentation, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Christian Newby at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Julia Wong at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Amy Gogarty at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Xinwei Che at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Rebecca La Marre at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Emiliano Sepulveda at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Rosamunde Bordo at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Lauren Lavery at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha.
Josephine Lee at Craft Parlour with Rebecca La Marre, Oct 28, 2023. Photo by Dennis Ha

Western Front is a non-profit
artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.