Wreck City: An Epilogue for 809, was a collaborative project in which 9 homes and 3 garages scheduled for demolition were transfigured by local artists and musicians. The initiative was originally conceived as a farewell to the 809 Gallery, an alternative art space in one of the condemned garages. Perhaps the biggest Calgarian project of its kind, over 100 artist-participants bore their individual chimeras to the houses without need for removal.
Kenna Burima curated the music for House 807, and asked me to create a soundtrack for Camille Betts's installation. Using her signature paper sculptures, vinyl, and VHS tape, Bett crafted a "psychedelic wake" for the house, a "happy send-off" evoking nostalgia and wonder. The front room was cavernous: black masses hung heavily, and glittering stalactites reflected tinsel and wedding bells sprouting from the walls. Many memories passed through the space, and one marvelled at the ones Bett had pinned down.
Likewise, my song "House 807" honours the sounds over the house's lifetime, and gently severs our attachment to the space. In time, everything is obsolete: As condos emerge in their wake, House 807 and the rest of the Sunnyside block "fall away to memory [and] fade away to some story."