The by Melanie Janisse The number Ten Hastings lets me off at a red light at Hastings and Carrall. I step off after an ear full of warning from the bus driver. Apparently not a great neighborhood for a young lady to be walking alone in. Guess he doesn’t know that us artists are used to frequenting the Downtown Eastside for some of the best artist-run galleries in Vancouver. Guess I’ve been in worse neighborhoods in my life. I turn the corner and wind up in a huge line-up for Club 212. I didn’t know such places could actually procure a line-up. I chuckle as I remember a nutty night with a friend from London that ended at 212, drinking bad beer and dancing to rap. I believe after the bar closed we were made ses a terrible caricature drawing on the corner while singing the Platters, by some guy whose medium was a chewed up pencil and leftover computer paper. I snap out of my reverie and glance across the street. I negotiate my way around the jived up club-goers and dart across the street to the small storefront gallery that houses Artspeak. The windows have that lovely yellow glow, steamed up from the inside. Ican see the silhouettes of bodies as they mingle. Three people are leaving as I approach and as the door swings open, I can hear the din of voices. It shuts to street noises and rain. I stand peering in the translucent window he a minute, enjoying the yellow glow and the dampness of the night, and then I make my way in. Gallery Crawl Elisa Rathje Mouth 1999 Video Still 14.3 X 10cm Access Video Artwork by Elisa Rathje 6 Feb-6 Mar Access Gallery I leave Stevie and Hadley’s show with a group. It was time to get social and go check out Access Video - another show directly across the street at Access Gallery. We walk into the gallery and I’m stopped in my tracks by a big honkin’ vending machine. I can buy stamps of a woman picking at her face and stretching her mouth. But it seems to be broken as the two peo- ple before me fiddle with the coin return and pound it a couple of times. I feel like I’m in a bus station late at night with a chocolate craving that ain’t gonna happen. I’ve lost the folks I had crossed the street with. Oh well. What else can I buy? Access Video. We can access the commercial world right here in the gallery. Access has become the generic vending machine hallway. It’s the Pick-a-Flick vids store found in every town across the continent. It’s about the journey of the personal packaged as everyday commodity. Moving commodities. Stamps that wind up on postcards sent from Wai Kiki to Wheatville, Saskatchewan. Found in stamp collections in ranch homes in Parksville, B.C. Video rentals in their plastic boxes that are carried across the thresholds of private homes. And what will we see? Picking. Mouth. Brushing. The private realm of the body. The terrain of the face as it is picked and prodded, as the mouth is lathered and drooling of toothpaste. Rathje brings you there. You can feel the countertop digging into your hips as you lean into the mirror to scrutinize. You can feel the heat of your breath as it steams up the mirror. You can feel the glow of your own cozy television and the remote in your hand as you fast forward through all of the credits. Rathje approaches the intimate through layers of video screen and burlesque makeup. Vaudeville. The contradiction cre- ates a rich visual palate. The stylization of the hyper-personal. The examination of private rituals as commodity. The journey from private to public to private. Definitely an interesting package of elements to consider when you enter the doors of Access. Do I look at art? Buy stamps? Rent a video? A unique and fresh take on video and still image installation. Negotiating Desire Artwork by Hadley Howes/Steven Maxwell 6 Feb-6 Mar Artspeak Gallery The music seems to come from nowhere. It’s a mix of black rubber vests with hardware and DC skate shoes. Fetish kicks a vibe. The gallery smells like skid marks and cigarettes. I’m still digging the steamed-up windows. They keep this world cocooned and mysterious and the outside world a figment of memory. It’s doing wonders for the ambiance. The opening is packed, smoky. People crowding around the installations. Black industrial rubber. Stripped. Deflated. 2x4’s built into torture racks, frameworks for binding down the rubber with C clamps. Fetish meets Home Hardware. The simplicity of the materials brings the point across. Pressure. Limitations. Boundaries. Containment. The space itself feels chal- lenged and compressed. The vertical and horizontal structures challenge the dimensions of the gallery. They become obstacles which must be negotiated around, which must be acknowledged. The crowd maneuvers around the structures, tripping over the ones splayed across the floor, conducting conversations through the gaps in the constructions that tower over their heads. It’s all so appropriate. Influx: Magazine March 1999 I stop and read the artist’s statement: "The stoppage and slippage of desire in an autoplastic system. The play of possibilities... exploring the limitations of penetration and acceptance." People mill around. Autoplastic articulations of desire meet organic counterparts. I wonder what dramas are taking place around me. Who’s with who... who’s fucking who... who’s meet- ing who... hell, who’s alone like me. I love the room full of people. I promise to return to the space when it is quieter. When I do the overwhelming odor of rubber is like a dog marking its territory. Testaments to the ebb and flow of desire. Gunning the gas pedal and slamming on the brakes all at the same time. Ghosts of peo- ple milling about smoking cigarettes and drinking wine out of plastic cups. A beautiful, dark memory. 17 The Gallery Crawl by Melanie Janisse “The number Ten Hastings let me off at a red light at Hastings and Carell. 1 step of fer an ear fll of warning fom the bus driver. Apparently not a great neighborhood for a young, lady to be walking alone in. Guess he does't know that us ats are used to frequenting the Downtown Eastside for some of the ‘best artist-run galleries in Vancouver. Guess Tve been in worse neighborhoods in my fe. turn the corner and wind up in a huge line-up for Club 212, I did't know such places could actully procure a line-up. I chuckle as I remember a nutty night with fiend from London that ended at 212, drinking bad beer and dancing o rap. believe after the bar closed we were made into a terrible caricature drawing on the comer while singing the Platter, by some guy whose medium waka chewed up penil and letorer computer paper 1 snap out of my reverie and glance across the sect. negotiate my way around. the ved up club-goers and dart across the street tothe small storeftont gallery tht houses Arspeak The ‘windows have that lovely yellow glow, steamed up fom the inside. can see the shovettes of bodies as they mingle Three people are leaving as Tapproach and asthe door swings open, can hear the in of oes, Ie shuts to street noes and rain I sand peering in the translucent window for a minute, enjoying the yellow glow tnd the dampnes of the night and then T make my way in Elisa Rathje Mouth 1999 ideo Still 14.3 X lem, Access Video Artwork by Elisa Rathje 6 Feb-6 Mar Access Gallery Negotiating Desire eave Stevie and Hadley’s show with a group. Ie was time to get socal and go checkout Access Video ~ another show dliecly across the street at Accets Gallery. We walk into the tallery and I'm stopped in my tracks by a big honkin’ vending ‘machine. I can buy stamps of « woman picking at her face and ftretching her mouth, Butt scems tobe broken a the two peo= ple before me fle with the con return and pound it couple of times, [feel like ina bus station late at night with a chocolate ‘raving that ain't gonna happen P've lost the folks 1 had crossed the stret with, Oh wel What ele can 1 buy? “Accor Video, We can acces the commercial world right haere in the galley. Access has become the generic vending ‘machine hallay. IPs the Picka-Flick vids store found i every tovin across the continent. I's about the journey of the personal pockaged as everday cormodiy. Moving commodities Stamps {hat wind up on ostards sent_ fom Wai Kiki to Wheavlle, ‘Sskatchewan. Found in stamp collections in ranch homes in Parkville, B.C. Video ental in thei plastic boxes that are creed ‘across the thresholds of private homes. And what wil we see? Picking. Mouth. Brushing The private realm ofthe body The terrain ofthe face as itis picked and prodded, a the mouth i lathered and drooling of toothpaste. Rathje brings you there. You can feel the countertop digging into your hips as you lean into the mitro to scrutinize You can fel the heat of your Breath a steams up the mitroz You an fee the glow of your own cozy television and the remote in your hand as you fast forward through al ofthe credits, Rathje approaches the intimate through layers of video screen and burlesque makeup. Vaudeville. The contradiction cre~ ‘tesa rich visual palate Te stlzation ofthe hyper- personal. The ‘tamination of private rituals as commodiy. The journey fom Date to public to priate. Definitely an interesting package of Clements #0 consider when you enter the doors of Acces. Do T look atart Buy stamps? Ren a video? A unique and fesh take on video and sil image installation Negotiating Desire Artwork by Hadley Howes/Steven Maxwell 6 Feb-6 Mar Artspeak Gallery “The music seems to come from nowhere. Ife a mix of black rubber vests with hardware and DC skate shoes Fetish ck vibe, The gallery smells like skid marks and cigarettes, I'm sll digging the steamed-up windows. They keep tis world cocooned tnd mysterious and the outside world a Bgment of memory. 15 doing Wonders forthe ambiance The opening is packed, smoky. People crowding around the installations, Black industrial rubber. Stripped Deflated. 24s built into tortare racks, frameworks for binding down the rubber with C clamps. Fetish meets Home Hardware ‘The simplicity of the materials brings the point across. Pressure. Limitations. Boundaries. Containment. The space itl fees chal- lenged and compresed. The vertical and horizontal structures challenge the dimensions of the gallery. They become obstacles ‘which must be negotiated around, which must be acknowledged "The crowd maneuvers around the structures, tripping over the ‘ones spayed across the flor, conducting conversations through the gaps inthe constructions that tower over their heads.’ all appropriate Influx? Magazine March 1999 1 stop and read the artists statement: "The stoppage and slippage of deste in an atoplastic system. ‘The pay of posites... exploring the imitations of penetration and acceptance” People mill ound. Autoplasic atcuatons of desice cet organic counterparts. wonder what dramas are taking place round me. Who's with who. who's fucking who... who's meet {ng who. hell who's alone lke me. love the oom fll of people. promise to return to the space shen iis quieter When Io the ‘overwhelming odor of ruber is tke a dog marking its terior. ‘Testaments to the ebb and low of desire. Gunning the gat pedal snd slamming on th brake al tthe same time. Ghosts of peo ple mailing about smoking cigarettes and drinking wine out of plastic cups. A beautiful, dark memory 17