Q&A: Notes of love and lust on the Danforth
Apr 9, 2010. An Interview With Steve Darley from the National Post: The National Post: Q&A: Notes of Love and Lust on the Danforth
If you come across a love letter on the Danforth this month, don’t assume it was meant for you (although it might have been). The city’s newest art festival, Art of the Danforth, debuts April 23 between Greenwood and Woodbine. Storefronts, alleyways, walls and parks will host a variety of installations, including poet/artist Annie Wong’s Public Display of Affection, a series of anonymous cards left throughout the neighbourhood containing romantic confessions, love notes or lustful messages. The artist told the Post’s Steve Darley it’s about re-imagining the city:
Q. In this series you get to play the role of an anonymous lover, how much do you enjoy that?
A. I love it!
Q. Why?
A. When you are in public you are anonymous and you’re given the freedom to say something provocative or something that you would never normally say, or to kiss somebody, or to look somebody in the eye and at the same time be able to escape that.
Q. Where are you going to put these notes?
A. I like streets and alleyways because they are placeless places. They’re so transitory and people don’t stop to see them for what they actually are.
Q. Are you worried about putting lustful notes in alleyways?
A. No! I try to provoke as much sensation as possible.
Q. Is it fair to describe this as voyeuristic?
A. Maybe, because all the poems will be written in the second person, so they will be direct. Something like “your fingers warm my corners.” Then it is open for interpretation, whether or not it is meant for them. I guess it is a bit voyeuristic but at the same time I think its a bit more internal and reflective.
Q. Given that you are aiming to distribute 100 cards, how many people are you lusting for right now?
A. Well the inspiration for the poems actually comes from everyone in my life. I won’t name them, but I project them onto strangers. There are past lovers, current lovers, secret lovers and friends.
Q. So is this some sort of written exhibitionism then?
A. I wouldn’t say exhibitionism to the extent that I take pleasure in it, but I do try to make it an exchange form of pleasure. I try to make it so the person who picks up the card is engaged in the sentiment. I don’t want to impose anything, so the cards are hidden discretely around the neighbourhood.
Q. Is the neighbourhood ready for an onslaught of romantic and playful greetings cards?
A. I think it’s exactly what this part of the city needs. I think people will enjoy it. They’ll stumble across the cards by accident and if I can get one or two people out of 100 cards to really engage in it, then the whole thing will be worth it.
• For more information, www.artofthedanforth.com
Photo of Annie Wong by Tyler Anderson, National Post
