In 2006 I was invited by Anne Cibola and Claire Eckert to participate in the annual back-alley-garage exhibition Alley Jaunt. "For one summer weekend, the back alley garages surrounding Trinity Bellwoods Park are transformed into art exhibits, installations, performance, and film/video venues" (www.alleyjaunt.com). For the 2006 edition of Alley Jaunt, Anne and Claire curated a thematic section of the event under the theme of "Give". In Give! artists investigated, "the dynamics of gift-giving as a concept, creative statement and mode of operation for subversion, intervention and connection. Gifts may be ephemeral or physical, an action or an object, articulated as street actions, mischievous interruptions, spontaneous interludes, or unconventional connections confronting the ways we practice shared urban space."- Anne Cibola and Claire Eckert
Meredith Carruthers Giant corsages/miniature parade floats, 2006
My contribution to Give! was a series of sculptures titled Giant corsages/miniature parade floats. These mini-sculptural installations were inspired by celebration ephemera; decorative interventions and brightly coloured clusters that inspire for the duration of an event, transporting participants into an atmosphere of fantasy. Installed on exhibition visitors, the corsages/ floats provoked a similar moment of transformation in the back alleys of Toronto, creating a surreal prom experience or rambling parade in this unexpected setting. Scaled to fit the body as opposed to a delicate wrist or lapel, the corsages took on the proportion of small gardens or topiary, changing the wearer’s perception of familiar spaces.
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