Purpose

Material Witness will focus on extreme textile process. Images will be posted here showing the history of my work, new work, developing projects and inspiration.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

What Have We Done?

I am sitting near an open window on the third floor of the Woodlands Inn in Fort Nelson, B.C. Canada. The town may sound bucolic but it may be one of British Columbia's scariest example of a town run by big oil and gas companies. It is not pretty here. The town appears to be made up of muddy parking lots stuffed with trucks and equipment.

Our comments to one another so far is on the lines of "What have we done?!!!"

It is so much colder than Vancouver and we have put on our coats. Snow is expected in a few days which will mean the ruts will freeze and the walking will be very treacherous. Our new vehicle , which is white , is covered with a grey gumbo and an oily dust. The last mosquitoes are desperately buzzing at the window.

I expected to see wild plants or something to distract me. The District has decided to mow all the little nooks and roadsides bald to prevent "weeds". The bald will soon be covered by snow.
Tiny children fly around the town on ATV vehicles and little motorcycles.

We went to see the apartment we are moving to and it is a big, charmless, boxy example of an 2 storey ATCO trailer. The lease isn't signed yet and the only natural food store has just gone out of business and is for rent. Tim and I might be in for another live work space.

I am too tired to feel too much. Tomorrow will reveal more truths about the town. It is surrounded by forest. There must be a way to get to it!

4 comments:

Gypsy Miles From Nowhere said...

Just read your post. Obviously you don't think too much of our town. Just curious though, why are you here???

material witness said...

Fair question. I recorded my first impressions of the physical environment of the town. Accurate as I look out the window.

This doesn't reflect any of my impressions of the lovely people I met today. The people here are like many people living in locations planned for industry.
They are decent, hardworking and generous. They appear easy to laugh and polite to a fault. It, in my experience, is people that make a place.

I am here with my husband. He is here for his work.

Do you live in town or in the country surrounding?

greenmama said...

you say in your blog that the only natural food store is closed down and for rent.... i'm curious which store you are talking about as i know down to earth health shop is still up and running and quite busy... so busy infact that they are building a new bigger "green building".... they are an awesome store.... you should check them out sometime.... good products with excellent customer service!!

material witness said...

Found the health food store and it is stocked full of delicious and lovely things to eat.

I wrote responding to the ad in the Fort Nelson News falsely assuming that they were for rent because they were going out of business not because business was screaming good. Didn't realize they were just relocating. Thank Goodness!