Happenstance // A Series of Temporary Artworks
Presented by Decoy Magazine
Curated by Whitney Brennan
noun hap·pen·stance \ˈha-pÉ™n-ËŒstan(t)s, ˈha-pÉ™m-\
coincidence: “it was just happenstance that I happened to be there”
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Happenstance is a series of artworks in public space, curated and organized by Decoy Magazine, that seeks to examine the meaningful ‘coincidental’ events that occur in our everyday spaces in Vancouver. It asks: What happened here that we cannot see, that is not recognized or remembered? What is celebrated in the spaces that have simultaneously oppressed and disenfranchised others? What is covered up by architecture, concrete, golf courses, parking lots? What are the unseen, unheard, unspoken, ‘traceless’ histories and memories of our city? We all walk through these streets, these parks, these spaces that hold deeper meaning and stories than we can see. Is it a ‘coincidence’ that these sites are covered or hidden? Is it happenstance that wherever we stand, on any street corner on any given day, we are standing in a place where history has been made?
"For this series, we invite artists to question our urban spaces, tell new stories, and ask why we only see the see the 'Vancouverism’ version of our city".
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