compiled by Benjamin Asa Smith interviews are verbatim

Brenndan Laird Halifax

One of my most memorable moments in Halifax was walking back, the middle of winter from NSCAD to my home, which was up a very steep hill, and it was rain- ing and snowing at the same time. It was one of the most absolutely miserable days that I can remember there, and I was all covered up with everything I had, trying to keep dry and warm, climbing this hill, and I see on the sidewalk ahead of me someone approaching. As I get closer I real- ize it’s a skinhead, but only one of them, and he’s dressed in the very typical skinhead garb, but he’s absolutely not dressed for the weather. So he’s cowering, just curled up like a little baby trying to protect his own being from the wind and rain. I realized at that moment that he was just a lost sheep, and I passed him and kind of laughed. That’s my story.

Ehren Seeland Edinburgh

Alright, ah, well, I decided after my four months in Edinburgh to do a little bit of traveling, so I met with Heidi and Kelly and we did the Italy thing, Spain thing, and towards the end of my trip when my money was run- ning out I decided to go to the Czech Republic because I heard it was dirt cheap and also cause I heard it was beau- tiful. So I got there and I was there for a few days, and I was wandering around haying a look, spending my money, and the day before I was about to leave I went outside of the train station to take out money from the bank machine for my train ticket home. And I’d been warned about this, and I hadn’t really seen anything, and I wasn’t really wor- ried cause it was broad daylight, but I’m standing there taking my cash out and three men approached me demanding my passport, telling me they were policemen. I had my passport around my neck, wasn’t prepared to give it to them, so I just thought, well, I’ll just try to rea- son my way out of this. So the three guys keep yelling at me, I’m asking around, "I can’t really understand Czech, could someone help me out here?" ‘Everyone just kept walking past. So the next thing I know the guy’s looking down towards my cash, my last three hundred dollars to get back to Edinburgh so I can fly home, so I slowly tried to put it in my pocket and just at that moment one guy grabbed me and chucked me down on the ground. Cut my head open, twisted my ankle, the whole deal. And I was asking passers-by, "Where’s the police station, where’s the police station?" No one would stop to help, no one would even look at me, so I just kinda limped my way back to the hostel to decide what I was going to do from there. And a guy I had met the day before at breakfast in a hos- tel -from Kelowna, actually- out of the kindness of his heart gave me three hundred dollars to get back home, didn’t take down my address, just gave me his, said "I just want you to get home safe." So I made it back, and, god was I happy to be back in the U.K. Traveling was amaz- ing, and that one incident was just so small. I still keep in contact with this guy, which is good, and, yeah, just totally restored my faith in humanity.

30 influx: Magazine October 1999

photo by anonymous design student

_ exchange tales...

Anonymous eye view of the Big Apple

Anonymous Design Student New York

Okay, my most memorable experience in New York was on the last day where I found myself stuck in a prostitute’s S&M room, and I killed two cockroaches for ten dollars. That’s my best New York experience.

David Spriggs London

The moment I arrived in London, England, I hated it. The passport officer wouldn’t let me in because I hadn’t bought a return ticket and I couldn’t tell him an exact date I was leaving. He told me I should just get back on the plane to Canada until I could tell him. Asshole.

My shared apartment that resembled a slum was in a rundown part of London. East Hastings would be a luxury by comparison. My incredibly annoying, chain- smoking roommate charged me about $800 a month for a tiny room that was a mess, only half the paint remained on the walls and the ants in the kitchen took a fancy to my food. The pollution in London leaves you short of breath and gives you a black gunge on your skin and up your nose. If you’re wondering how much it costs, imagine paying three times for everything. Most Londoners are very anti-social, don’t take it personally, I tended to make most friends from school.

As much as London can be so bad it can be one of the most exciting places on earth. There are endless galleries and museums to visit. Some are even based in people’s apartments. I think the contemporary art scene there is the best in the world at the moment, it’s really inspirational. I saw and spoke to some of the hotshot artists, critics, and gallery owners. The museums are incredible, London has half the treasures in the world. As you know, the British Empire once ruled a lot of the world and when they liked something, they took it.

I was at Central St. Martins right in the heart of London. The students there were great and the teachers and visiting artists all contributed to making it wonderful. It can be a little lax in the school at times, but if you’re motivated you can learn a lot.

If you can withstand the fast pace and stress of London, you can do it anywhere. I had a great sense of accomplishment and learned so much about everything from art to life. I recommend taking the risk of going.

Heidi Mattis Edinburgh

Ehren and I went out, and she’s my flatmate, right, we went out and we went dancing. And we’re walk- ing home and we have this little causeway, it’s called, cause it’s not really a full street, kind of a place where you just walk through. So we’re walking along, we’re chattin’, and I look up and I start laughin’ my ass off. And Ehren’s like, "What? What" And I’m like, "Okay, look up there at the second level. Right there! Yep, right there." She’s like, "What? What? What?" She looks up. She’s like, "Oooh my god!" There’s this guy standing there with this brandy glass drinking brandy and he’s totally buck-naked in his window. And he’s right there drinking his brandy, a pink light back- lighting him. Right there. So we just piss ourselves laugh- ing all the way home. And the funny part is, though, is that we see him. all the time in his clothes making lunch or something. So that was one of my funny stories coming home.

Kelly Deck Cardiff

Exchange wasn’t really what I’d anticipated. I sort of had a more idyllic idea of what it would be like and that I'd have this great epiphany about my work. But it ended up being a good learning experience even though the school I went to was sort of grim compared to EmCarr. It didn’t really have that much going for it in terms of facilities, but having said that the instructors were amazing and very inspiring. I think maybe the most exciting and influential part of my exchange was traveling, when we went up to Scotland to visit the other exchange students up there: Ehren and Heidi and Andrew. But then when I headed over to Europe in March, that was just fantastic. It sort of, after a difficult time in Wales it sort of restored my happiness. After traveling through and seeing all those beautiful places, seeing many things that were very inspiring for work this year, I met up with Ehren Seeland in Italy and we just had an amazing time. I think Italy has just got to be my favourite, so romantic and beautiful. And after all of that and I was feeling really good and had a nice suntan and I was quite happy about heading home. I got back to London, a bit exhausted after a two and a half day train ride, and I got there to discover that all of my bags had been stolen, including my portfolio and my brushes -those bas- tards- and all my clothes. So, I came home with consider- ably less than I had left with, but I’ve probably learned a lot more. And I’m just glad to be home.

exchange tales...

‘compiled by Benjamin Asa Smith interviews are verbatim

Brenndan Laird Halifax

One of my most memorable moments in Halifax was walking back, the middle of winter from NSCAD to ‘my home, which was up a very stecp hill, and it was rain- ing and snowing at the same time. It was one of the most absolutely miserable days that I can remember there, and as all covered up with everything I had, trying to keep dry and warm, climbing this hill, and I see on the sidewalk, ahead of me someone approaching. As I get closer Ir ize i's a skinhead, but only one of them, and he's dressed in the very typical skinhead garb, but he's absolutely not dressed for the weather. So he's cowering, just curled up like alte baby trying to protect his own being from the wind and rain. 1 realized at that moment that he was just lost sheep, and I passed him and kind of laughed. That's my story

Ehren Seeland Edinburgh

Alright, ah, well I decided after my four months in Edinburgh to do a litle bit of traveling, so I met with Heidi and Kelly and we did the Italy thing, Spain thing and towards the end of my trip when my money was run- ning out I decided to go to the Czech Republic because 1 hncardit was dirt cheap and also cause I heard it was beau- tiful. So I got there and I was there for a few days, and 1 was wandering around having a look, spending my money, and the day before I was about to leave I went outside of the train station to take out money from the bank machine for my train ticket home. And I'd been warned about this, and I hadn't really seen anything, and I wasn't really wor. ried cause it was broad davlight, but I'm standing there taking my cash out and three men approached me demanding my passport, telling me they were policemen, Thad my passport around my neck, wasn't prepared to sive it to them, so I just thought, well, I'l just try to rea son my way out of this, So the three guys keep yelling at sme, I'm asking around, "I can’t really understand Czech, could someone help me out here?" Everyone just kept walking past. So the next thing I know the guy’s looking down towards my cash, my last three hundred dollars to jet back to Edinburgh so I can fly home, so I slowly tried to put it in my pocket and just at that moment one guy grabbed me and chucked me down on the ground. Cut my head open, twisted my ankle, the whole deal. And I was asking passers-by, "Where's the police station, where's the police station?” No one would stop to help, no one ‘would even look at me, so I just kinda limped my way back to the hostel ro decide what I was going to do from there. ‘And a guy Thad met the day before at breakfast in & hos- tel from Kelowna, actually- out of the kindness of his heart gave me three hundred dollars to get back home, didn't take down my address, just gave me his, said "T just want you to get home safe.” So I made it back, and, god was I happy to be back in the UK. Traveling was amaz- ing, and that one incident was just so small. I still keep in Contact with this guy, which is good, and, yeah, just totally restored my faith in humanity.

30 influx* Magazine October 1999

‘Anonymous eye view of the Big Apple

Anonymous Design Student New York

Okay, my most memorable experience in New York was on the last day where I found myself stuck in a prostitutes SSM room, and I killed two cockroaches for ten dollars. That's my best New York experience.

David Spriggs London

The moment I arrived in London, England, 1 hhated it. ‘The passport officer wouldn't let me in because Thadn't bought a return ticket and I coulda’t tell him an exact date I was leaving. He told me I should just get back fon the plane to Canada until I could tell him. Asshole.

My shared apartment that resembled a slum was in a rundown part of London. East Hastings would be a luxury by comparison, My incredibly annoying, chai smoking roommate charged me about $800 a month for & tiny room that was a mess, only half the paint remained on the walls and the ants in the kitchen took a fancy to my food. The pollution in London leaves you short of breath and gives you a black gunge on your skin and up your nose. If you're wondering how much it costs imagine paying three times for everything. Most Londoners are very anti-social, don’t take it personally, I tended to make ‘most friends from school,

‘As much as London can be so bad it can be one ‘of the most exciting places on earth. There are endless galleries and museums to visit. Some are even based in people's apartments. I think the contemporary art scene there is the best in the world at the moment, its realy inspirational. I saw and spoke to some of the hotshot artists, critics, and gallery owners. ‘The museums are incredible, London has half the treasures in the world. As you know, the British Empire once ruled a lot ofthe world and when they liked something, they took it

‘was at Central St. Martins right in the heart of

The students there were great and the teachers

and visiting artist all contributed to making it wonderful It can be a litle lax in the school at times, but if you's motivated you can learn a lot

Ifyou can withstand the fast pace and stress of London, you can do it anywhere. I had a great sense of accomplishment and learned so much about everything from art to life. I recommend taking the risk of going.

London.

Heidi Mattis Edinburgh

Ehren and I went out, and she's my flatmate, right, we went out and we went dancing. And we're walk: ing home and we have this litle causeway, it’s called, cause it's not really a full stret, kind of a place where you just walk through. So we're walking along, we're chattin', and ook up and I star laughin’ my ass off. And Ehren’s like, "Wha? What" And I'm like, "Okay, look up there at the second level. Right there! Yep, right there.” She's like, "What? What? What?" She looks up. She’ like, “Oooh my god!” ‘There's this guy standing there with this brandy glass drinking brandy and he’s totally buck-naked in his window ‘And he’s right there drinking his brandy, a pink light back- lighting him. Right there. So we just piss ourselves laugh- ing all the way home. And the funny parti, though, is that wwe sce him all the time in his clothes making lunch or something. So that was one of my funny stories coming home.

Kelly Deck Cardiff

Exchange wasn’t really what Pd anticipated. Tsort ‘of had a more idyllic idea of what it would be like and that Td have this great epiphany about my work. But it ended up being a good learning experience even though the school Tent to was sort of grim compared to EmCarr. It did really have that much going for it in terms of facilities, b having suid that the instructors were amazing and very inspiring. I think maybe the most exciting and influential part of my exchange was traveling, when we went up t0 Scotland to visit the other exchange students up there Ehren and Heidi and Andrew. But then when I headed over to Europe in March, that was just fantastic. Itsort of, after 4 difficult time in Wales it sort of restored my happiness. ‘After traveling through and seeing all those beautiful places, seeing many things that were very inspiring for work this year, I met up with Ehren Seeland in Italy and we just had fan amazing time. I think Italy has just got to be my favourite, so romantic and beautiful. And after all of that and I was feeling really good and had a nice suntan and 1 was quite happy about heading home. I got back t0 London, a bit exhausted ater a two and a half day train ride, and I got there to discover that all of my bags had been stolen, including my portfolio and my brushes -those bas- tards- and all my clothes. So, I came home with consider- ably less than I had left with, but I've probably learned lot more. And I'm just glad to be home