Poet’s Blox Webcam

January 28th, 2012, 3:31 pm

Poet’s Blox ‘live’

Commissioned by Lorenzen Engineering Inc.

For more information on the live camera, please visit Alex McKay‘s website.

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Future Plans for the Ecohouse

December 16th, 2010, 10:57 pm

Passersby may notice some new additions to the Green Corridor’s ecohouse lot on Sunset Avenue, including mulch covering the entire side yard and a recently built wooden sign detailing the ecohouse’s development. After a semester of revitalizing the ecohouse and adjacent lot, these are just some of the results from the Green Corridor students’ hard work.

During the recent renovations, it was discovered that the soil around the ecohouse was still unusable – there were too many weeds in the ground, and the soil needed more nourishment. To solve this dilemma, a process called solarization was initiated. This involved layering water-soaked cardboard over the ground, and then spreading absorptive mulch on top of the cardboard. When the sun heats the area, it turns the water into steam. This process germinates the seeds and kills off unwanted weeds within the top inches of the soil, providing the garden with the opportunity for a fresh start as it provides the future plants to grow to their full potential. The covering will effectively deter the weeds and serve as a protective barrier over the winter months.

 Once the earth is nourished, and the weather is cooperative, Green Corridor will plant the garden once again. The plan for the garden has been simplified from the Wildflower Garden Team’s work during Intersession 2010, and designs have been created with wider, less intricate paths. A lean-to Greenhouse will also be built onto the ecohouse, wherein more plants will continue to thrive. The future wildflower garden will be attractive and relaxing, an oasis of calm amidst the urban stress in the area.

 To spread the word about Green Corridor’s current involvement with the ecohouse, this semester’s Design Team worked on constructing a sign to place on the ecohouse lot. It presents an informative message to educate visitors of the ecohouse’s ongoing transformation and to introduce the next phase of the project. Looking ahead, with a little teamwork and motivation, we can harness the ecohouse’s potential and create another project that positively influences the environment and community.

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POET’S BLOX Opening Event: Come Join Us!

November 24th, 2010, 8:52 pm

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GREEN CORRIDOR LAUNCHES NEW PUBLIC ART PIECE

November 10th, 2010, 8:57 pm

Lorenzen Engineering donates wind meter and wind turbine

Green Corridor is exploring the possibilities of alternative energy in a new public art project called Poet’s Blox. The launch of this piece features on a state-of-the-art wind meter and an urban-scale wind turbine recently donated by James Lorenzen of Lorenzen Engineering. These wind-propelled devices will bring together art and technology in a new and innovative way.

Under the direction of Noel Harding and Justin Langlois, this semester’s Green Corridor students are hard at work designing and building the Poets Blox. This public art installation will be located on the corner of College Avenue and Huron Church Road in front of the School of Visual Arts, facing the busy traffic of Huron Church Road. This piece features a shipping crate converted into an artist’s studio or “eco lab” where visitors, writers and poets will be able to transmit messages to a large-scale LED screen, mounted on the outside of the container. The LED sign will feature works from prominent Canadian poets as well as display real-time environmental data such as wind speed.

To collect this data, a wind meter with built-in solar panels will be mounted on the shipping container, measuring the  speed of the wind produced by passing traffic. The data is then transferred in real-time to the LED screen, again making visible the information to the roadway commuters. The wind turbine helps fuel the structure by providing energy to run the eco lab inside the shipping crate.

This project will highlight environmental design as public art, encourage interaction with sustainable energy, as well as communicate with border city traffic.

As the construction of the Poet’s Blox progresses, updates will be added to the website. Check back regularly for the latest news.

Lorenzen Engineering Corporation

Storstac Inc.

Metro Skylite

Roxul Inc.

Woodall Construction Co. Limited

Nu-media Display Systems Inc.

Tom Gray Home Hardware Building Centre

Moir Crane Service Ltd.

Kingstone Electric

Topnotch Plastics Inc.

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Ecohouse: a Site for Potential

October 14th, 2010, 8:52 pm

During Intersession 2010, the Green Corridor class developed a new project that aimed to transform the ecohouse lot by creating an urban wildflower garden. Over six intensive weeks, students worked not only to generate a design for the garden, but also to plant and landscape the ecohouse lot.

However, by early September, it had become obvious that the garden and the ecohouse were in a severe state of disrepair: the wildflower project was overgrown, the yard surrounding the houses was unkempt, and the ecohouse itself needed some loving attention. Although the ecohouse has been the site of many innovative projects, over the long summer months, nature began to reclaim the lot.

Tasked with remediating the ecohouse and wildflower garden, students in the Fall 2010 class were asked to complete a site analysis, and generated an immediate action plan.

Over the course of several weeks, major tasks were completed: old furniture, rocks, and rubble were removed from the lot, the unruly lawn was cut and raked, weeds were pulled from the driveway and grass, thorny bushes were discarded, and trees were trimmed. The ecohouse itself was also treated to a rigorous power-washing and window cleaning. And, as a finishing touch, a variety of flowers and shrubs were planted in the front yard.

In little over a month, and after significant hours invested into this project, the restoration team has completely revitalized the ecohouse and the adjacent lot. It is now once again a primed canvas ready to showcase exciting new projects, which will continue to unfold over the course of the Fall semester and beyond.

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Green Corridor Travels to Subtle Technologies

May 25th, 2010, 9:10 am

Windsor’s Green Corridor will be featured in a panel discussion and exhibition at this years subtle technologies  festival centred on sustainability …….  See you there.

For 3 days in June at the 13th annual Subtle Technologies Festival, an exciting line up of scientists, artists and designers will journey from around the world to share ideas, science and artworks that explore this year’s theme – Sustainability.

Schedule at-a-glance:

May 29th & 30th - Workshop
June 4th - Symposium & Exhibition Opening
June 5th - Symposium & Art & Science Cruise
June 6th - Community Day – drop in for a screening, talk, tour or kids activity (free)

Locations:
- Symposium and Community Day – Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto
- Exhibition – InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre
- Workshop – Learning Zone, OCAD
- Art & Science Cruise – Pioneer Princess, Queen’s Quay

Tee shirts are now on order for Subtle Technologies!  For more information or to buy a tee shirt for $20 please e-mail us:  jen@subtletechnologies.com

For more news and updates:

Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @SubtleTech

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Green Corridor featured in contingent ecologies :: investigations at the edge

May 25th, 2010, 9:06 am

contingent ecologies :: investigations at the edge

Presented as a partnership between InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre, Year Zero One and Subtle Technologies.

Curated by Camille Turner and Michael Alstad.

Dates: Exhibition – May 22 to June 12, 2010. Opening – June 4, 2010.

Location: InterAccess Electronic Media Arts Centre, 9 Ossington Avenue, Toronto

Each year Subtle Technologies presents an international festival bringing scientists, artists and designers together to share ideas, science and artworks around a theme. This year’s focus is on sustainability.

The most innovative, unconventional thinking and solutions often come from the periphery – beyond established structures and norms. contingent ecologies :: investigations at the edge present concepts, ideas and projects byarchitects, designers, artists and community activists from multiple view points coming together to explore and respond to a complexity of environmental and social issues.

Velo City, The Green Corridor and API are sustainable built environments and concepts represented through layers of media; video, installations, audio, photography and sketches within the InterAccess gallery space. Each project offers a glimpse into the process of the conceptualization of an idea. The exhibition continues online via a blog, offering public engagement and participation throughout the festival. The blog will initially feature projects presented in the exhibition and symposium and will then branch out into related territory with additional thematic content curated from online sources.

Exhibition Blog

http://www.year01.com/contingentecologies

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The Green Corridor Intersession Course

March 15th, 2010, 5:45 pm

Special Session May 10 – June 21, 2010

We are currently looking for enthusiastic students that are self-starters, independent thinkers and future leaders to assist in the realization of the following projects:

Artist Projects:  Anarcheology Lab

Excavating new narratives of people, places, events and artifacts in the Ambassador Bridge/ Green Corridor area. The goal of this component of the course is to broaden the range of narratives and to create new artifacts, documents and representations specific to these sites. Students will work with representatives of various artist collectives.

DodoLab (Waterloo), www.dodolab.ca

Tug Collective, (Akron, Ohio), www.tugcollective.org

Probosscis (London, UK), www.proboscis.org.uk

Broken City Lab(Windsor),www.brokencitylab.org

Urban Green Space and Organic Gardening

Developing strategies for the implementation of organic food production in the University of Windsor community. Student will work with community partners.

Green Corridor Projects

Green energy production, electric tractor, alternative urban planning strategies, public art, urban landscape transformation, corporate sponsorship, the electric motorcycle, greenhouse design, and fundraising.

A course with real results!

01-27-385-01

Green Corridor Project Room: 135 LeBel Building

University of Windsor, Ontario

Lecture/Lab: Tuesday / Thursdays 4 – 9:50 PM

Contact: Rod Strickland, School of Visual Arts,

strickl@uwindsor.ca www.greencorridor.ca

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Urban Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges

March 13th, 2010, 1:34 pm

Landscape Architecture specialist Karen Landman will present “Urban Agriculture: Opportunities and Challenges” to the public at 7pm on Thursday March 18 at the University of Windsor.

Ms. Landman will address the opportunities and challenges of sustainable living through urban food production while discussing urban agriculture, land stewardship, food systems and urban ‘greening’ projects in other communities.

A professor in Landscape Architecture at the School of Environmental Design & Rural Development, University of Guelph has a background in landscape architecture, planning and development, and cultural geography.  Landman has had a design practice for over 20 years, specializing in planting design. In 2007, she was the recipient of the Ontario Agriculture College Distinguished Professor Award. Her current research interests include green infrastructure, urban agriculture, local food systems, urban to rural linkages, community landscape-stewardship planning, and especially the linkages between design and planning.

Event:

• Thursday March 18^th
• 7- 9pm
• Room 115
• School of Visual Arts, LeBel Building
• University Of Windsor

(South West Corner of Huron Church Road and College Ave.)

All students and community members are encouraged to attend this event to gain valuable insight into establishing Urban Agricultural Projects for our West Windsor community.

This event is hosted by University of Windsor, Green Corridor in support of the Campus Community Garden Project.

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Open Corridor & Drive Thru Symphony: Culture to the NAFTA Highway

January 4th, 2010, 8:23 pm

Canada’s busiest international border corridor was transformed into a drive-thru art gallery this summer by the University of Windsor’s Green Corridor. From June 18 to September 23, 2009, the Open Corridor Festival featured outdoor public art exhibitions, events and performances along the area identified as “the Green Corridor,” on Huron Church Road between College Avenue and Assumption High School.

The Drive Thru Symphony, which premiered on September 23, 2009, was a site-specific, real time installation and performance work that incorporated sight and sound while integrating vehicle traffic and drivers into a collaborative event. The stream of live sound from the musicians and the traffic was also broadcast over CJAM 99.1fm’s airwaves as it happened, encouraging contributions from those driving through the performance. Pictured above, students power instruments, lighting, and sound equipment by riding bicycles.

Featuring the work of ten artists with connections to Windsor and Essex County, the Open Corridor Exhibition, which opened on June 18, 2009, found public art installations, performances, and interventions at the edge of the NAFTA highway. Images from the exhibition are featured below, while a catalogue of the entire festival is currently in the works.

Auto Light by Kim Adams.

Ecology by Iain Baxter&.

Talking Trees by David Blatherwick.

Galileo by Noel Harding.

Wilt by Lucy Howe.

You Are Worth It by Justin Langlois.

Cooler Columns by Zeke Moores.

Border Bookmobile by Lee Rodney.

Corn Car by Rod Strickland.

Ear by Robert Weins.

Inside Outside Ecologies by Jennifer Willet.

The Open Corridor Festival was made possible by the generous support from the University of Windsor, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canada Council for the Arts, Festival Tents, Tom Gray Building Centres, UB Welding,  and CJAM 99.1fm.

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