Written by Beth Cowie with photographs by Joan Liddicoat Joan Liddicoat is a full time student at Emily Carr, majoring in photography. She was a part time student for several years while teaching (full time) as a home economics teacher at a local high school. She is currently on a one year sabbatical to attend Emily Carr full time, and thereby deepen her commit- ment to the practice of art. | went to visit Joan in her home in Kitsilano, after having met her only once and knowing very little about her art work. | was greeted with a welcoming smile, and the smell of freshly baked bread coming from the kitchen. An artist's private living space is definitely not the usual environment for viewing art. It offers a very different experi- ence from that of an art gallery or other public viewing space; there is a much more informal context to viewing and dis- cussing the artist's work when sitting comfortably in her living room eating fresh bread and sipping tea. | felt like | lived in the neighborhood and had just dropped by for a visit, and had to remind myself that | had come here to review Joan's installation and get a feel for her work as +r star's installation was originally part ot | My grandmother has been baking Enter Action, an ensemble of site-specific pho- tographic installations put together by Emily bread for as long as ! can Carr photography students from November 18 to December 8, 1996. (See Harald Gravelsins’ The Pedagogy of Intervening in Urban Public Space remember. At 91 years of age, she on pages 26-27). Her installation is titled “Breadlines”, and this is how she describes it in still lives on her Own. Part of this the brochure / invitation: way and the kitchen of my house. Ieontnueto Ft project involves reconnecting enact my mother’s weekly tradition of bread- making over 28 episodes in an attempt to with my memories of her. measure the value of this work and to reconnect with the special meaning found between the lines of the recipe.” Joan recreated the environment of the installation for our interview by having a loaf baking in the oven so that | would be able to understand what the original piece was like. This wasn’t difficult, since the rest of the envi- ronment she'd created was still in place. Throughout her apartment there are pho- tographs of her mother and grandmother as they perform the ritual of breadmaking, and as they were when she interviewed them both for this piece. Joan recorded the voices of her mother and grandmother and took pho- tographs of them as they described their bread making processes. : In the kitchen there are narrow shelves with mini breadloaves on them and polaroid pho- tographs of bread behind them. An apron hanging on the door is in the traditional gingham style that Joan’s mother used to wear when Joan was a girl. A list from a cooking school cookbook of “ways to identify the perfect loaf” — describing the ideal shape, colour, and texture of the white loaf - is on the kitchen wall. There are also cookbooks from the 1950's on display with recipes and food preparation tips along with descriptions of how a woman can serve the perfect meal for her family and friends. Those who attended the installation during its Enter Action phase were treated to a loaf of bread as a gift, but Joan would first remove two slices to keep as part of her ongoing installa- tion, throughout which she made and baked bread. One of the people in attendance was Grant Arnold, curator at the VAG. Some people brought copies of their own traditional family recipes for her to try. Joan’s work deals with many important issues. The one that stood out the most for me is her relationship with her mother, who is in her seventies, and her grandmother who is in her early nineties, lives on her own, and contin- ues to make bread today. Both her mother and her grandmother have been making bread every week since they were young girls. The artist is identifying and examining her role as a woman within this family. The passing on of the traditional gender role of mother as cook and server, provider of nourishment for her husband and family, is signified especially by the gingham apron. | believe Jaon is also dealing with her own mortality in doing this installation. Most of Joan's family still lives in Keremeos, where she grew up, but Joan decided to move to the big WW Practice city to follow her own dreams. | think that this has a lot to do with the subject matter of Joan’s art, because she is living on her own and has no children, so the art of breadmaking will not be passed on to her children as it was passed on to her. Also, the fact that Joan is a home economics teacher shows that she has chosen a career in which she will be passing on her knowledge to a younger generation of children even though these children are not her own. The list of how to tell a perfect loaf also brings up issues of race and identity in the making of “white” bread which, when Joan was growing up, was one. of the staple foods in the diet of most people she knew. To eat white bread used to be March 1997 / Planet of the Arts 19 a symbol of wealth and prosperity, while the lower classes would eat brown or grainy breads, much like what is now con- sidered “health” bread. : The responses of both artist and viewers to this piece were in themselves interesting. | experienced Joan’s installation as a comfortable, friendly and inviting environment - a place where one could practice and exhibit one’s art in utter securi- ty. Yet Joan remembers feeling hesitant and vulnerable at inviting so many people into her home. Those who answered the invitation also reacted strongly to the idea of going into the home of an acquaintance as observers: Joan recalls them as being polite, careful to avoid expressing criticism, and highly conscious of being guests. What fascinated me was the multitude of complex issues which were made evident in this exploration of the simple action of bread making. The ritual of the process of making the bread is the focal point for Joan — not just the end product. °@ (WW Practice March 1997 / Planet of the Arts 19 Written by Beth Cowie with photographs by Joan Liddicoat Joan Liddicoat i a fulltime student at Emily Car, majoring in Photography. she was a parttime student for several years ‘while teaching (full time) as a home economics teacher at 2 local high school. She i currently on a one year sabbatical to ‘attend Emily Car full time, and thereby deepen her commit: iment to the practice of at. T'went fo visit Joan in her home in Kitsilano, after having ‘met her only once and knowing very litle about her art work. Iwas greeted with a welcoming smile, and the smell of freshly ‘baked bread coming from the kitchen ‘An artist’ private living space is definitely not the usual ‘environment for viewing art. offers avery different exper tence from that of an art gallery or other public viewing space; there is a much more informal context to viewing and ds- ‘cussing the artist’ work when sitting comfortably inher living ‘oom eating fresh beead and sipping tea. | fet like I lived in the neighborhood and had just dropped by fora vist, and had to,emind myself that had come hereto review Joan's installation and get a feel for her work as an artist ‘Joan's installation was originally part of Enter Action, an ensemble of site-specific pho- tographic installations. put together by Emily Care photography students from November 18 to December 8, 1996. (See Harald Gravelsns! The Pedagogy of Intervening in Urban Public Space fon pages 26-27). Her installation is titled *Breadlines", and this s how she describes it in the brochure invitation "The installation occurs within the passage- way and the kitchen of my house. {continue to enact my mother's weekly tradition of bread: ‘making over 2B episodes in an attempt to ‘measure the value ofthis work and to reconnect, ‘with the special meaning found between the Tines ofthe recipe.” ‘oan recreated the environment of the installation for our interview by having a loaf baking in the oven so that | would be able to Understand what the original piece was like. ‘This wast dificult, sine the rest of the envi- ronment she'd created was stil in place. “Throughout her apartment there are pho- tographs of her mother and grandmother 3s they perform the ritual of breadmaking, and as ‘they were when she interviewed them both for this piece. Joan recorded the voices. of her mother and grandmother and took pho: tographs of them a5 they described their bread ‘making processes In the kitchen there are narrow shelves with mini breadloaves on them and polaroid pho: tographs of bread behind them. An apron hanging on the door is in the traditional gingham style that Joan's mother used to wear ‘when Joan was agi ‘A list from a cooking school cookbook of ways to identity the perfect loaf” ~ describing the ideal shape, colour, and texture ofthe white loaf is on the kitchen wall. There are also ‘cookbooks from the 1950% on display with fecipes and feod preparation tips along with scriptions of how a woman can serve the perfect mea for her family and fiends. Those who attended the installation during Its Enter Action phase were treated t0 a loaf of bread as gift, but Joan would frst remove two slices to keep 35 part of her ongoing installa tion, throughout which she made and baked bread. One of the people in attendance wat Grant Arnold, curator at the VAG. Some people brought copies of their own traditional family recipes for her to try. Joan's work deals with many important Issues. The one that stood out the most for me is her relationship with her mother, who i in her seventies, and her grandmother who is in her ealy nineties, lives on her own, and contin Ues to make bread today. Both her mother and her grandmother have been making bread every week since they were young gil The artist is identifying and examining hee role as a woman within ths family. The passing ‘on ofthe traditional gender role of mother a ‘ook and server, provider of nourishment for her husband and family, is signified especialy by the gingham apron. TTbelieve Ja0n is also dealing with her own ‘mortality in doing this installation. Most of Soars family stil lives in Keremeos, where she ‘ew up, but Joan decided to move to the big ity to follow her own dreams. think that this has a ot to do with the subject matter of Joan’s at, because she's living on her own and has no hideen, 30 the art of breadmaking will nt be passed on to her children {sit was passed on to her. ‘Also, the fact that Joan isa home economies teacher shows that she has ‘hosen a career in which she will be passing on her knowledge to a younger generation of children even though these children are not her The list of how to tell a perfect loaf aso brings up issues of race and identity in the making of “white” bread which, when” Joan was growing up, was one of the staple foods inthe diet of most people she knew. To eat white bread used to be My grandmother has been baking bread for as long as I can remember. At 91 years of age, she still lives on her own. Part of this art project involves reconnecting with my memories of her. a symbol of wealth and prosperity, while the lower classes would eat brown or grainy breads, much like what is now con ‘dered “health” bread, ‘The responses of bth artist and viewers to this piece were in themselves interesting. | experienced Joan's installation as 3 comfortable, friendly and inviting environment — 2 place ‘where one could practice and exhibit one’s art in utter secur ty. Yet Joan remembers feeling hesitant and vulnerable at inviting s0 many people into her home. Those who answered the invitation also reacted strongly to the idea of going into the home of an acquaintance as observers Joan recalls them 2 being polit, careful to avoid expressing criticism, and highly conscious of being guests. ‘What fascinated me was the multitude of complex issues hich were made evident in this exploration of the simple action of bread making. The ritual ofthe process of making the bread isthe foal point for Joan ~ not just the end product. "®