Dreams of Paper Houses

Sandra Mirabelli (Ottawa Public Art Program Coordinator), Kristina Frangione (Assistant) pose alongside the C4 Cabinet, CCCC Project, Hintonburg Community Centre, 2009 (Photo: Lorraine Victor)

As a child I loved miniature doll houses. A friend of mine had a beautiful three-story one filled with exquisite tiny objects. I could only dream of having one because my parents could never afford such an item. But I remember once, when I lamented about not having one, they built me a small two-story cardboard house which they decorated with scraps of old wallpaper. I was touched by their thoughtful gesture and carried its memory in my heart for quite some time…

In 2009 I participated in a community art project:  Contemporary, Conceptual, Compartmental Community (CCCC). Like the Significant Contributions exhibition I’ve spoken of, it invited the public, regardless of age or background, to participate. The exhibition’s theme revolved around neighbourhood and community; the pieces for the show were selected by means of a lottery. The proposal’s most challenging aspect required that art objects be no wider than about 6 inches as each work would be housed in a small cabinet drawer. The cabinet, which was built and designed by local artisans, would then act as a portable museum which contained 24 art works. Its design was inspired by traveling museums of the Renaissance known as Cabinets of Curiosity or Wunderkammers. I was elated when I found out I was one of the lottery’s winners. As a fledgling writer and maker of small objects, the project seemed heaven sent. For years I’d wanted to tell the story of the neighbourhood I grew up in.

It’s not every day we get to hear the stories of current-day citizens in our museums and galleries; the CCCC gave common people a chance to tell stories about their communities across the city*. In conceiving my piece, I blended the memory of my paper house with my parents’ dream of owning a home. For some in North America owning a house is the norm, but for my mixed race Christian parents living in Muslim-run Pakistan in the 1950’s/60’s, it was not a reality for them to own home or land. In 1970, when ethnic and religious tensions rose, they moved to Canada bringing this dream with them.

Michelle Casey: Golden Triangle Project (Interior view), Assemblage: scrapbooking paper, acetate, ink, rubberstamp, magnets), 2009

Thirty years later, I found myself going back to the places I’d lived in as a child to create my “Golden Triangle” project for the CCCC. Photographing these houses and apartment buildings, which were all located in close proximity of each other, brought forth fond and bittersweet memories which I recorded on the interior walls of my paper house. Its transparent patterned roof revealed fragments of these tales as well as a map of the neighbourhood located on its floor. The piece unfolded so a viewer could read the stories it contained. Its exterior view featured facades of each place we lived in. Some of our happiest memories reside in these spaces; each one slighter bigger and better than the next. In the early 80’s, however, our good fortune was short-lived when economic forces intervened; the area we lived in known as the Golden Triangle became prime real estate territory. As a result, many lower-middle class families renting there, like ours, were forced to move as greedy landlords tripled their profits selling these properties. New stylishly renovated residences were built for high income earners rendering invisible the heartbreak and pain that came with the loss of these homes for their prior residents.  My family moved to a low rental housing community which presented many social and security-related challenges for us. With our sense of dignity lost and our dreams dashed, it felt like we’d moved a giant steps backwards. I was 18 then and lost much faith in the world. But even in the face of our tragedy all hope was not lost. On a personal note, I learned much about the plight of low income communities. Eventually, with all members of the family working, we were finally able to purchase our first home in 1987; it was cause for great celebration and brought with it a sense of great pride and belonging.

My Golden Triangle paper house at the C4 Gallery: CCCC Project, Hintonburg Community Centre, 2009 (Photo: Lorraine Victor)

The work of another participant at the C4 Gallery: CCCC Project, Hintonburg Community Centre, 2009 (Photo: Lorraine Victor)

Kevin and I with my nephew Jacob, Opening night at the C4 Gallery: CCCC Project, Hintonburg Community Centre, 2009 (Photo: Lorraine Victor)

*Note: At least three different CCCC exhibitions took place throughout the year. When they were over, the work of each artist was traded amongst the show’s participants so we each had a souvenir from a fellow neighbour in the city… I received a miniature bicycle with wings! Special thanks to my sister Lorraine Victor for photographing the event.

Excerpt from one interior wall of the Golden Triangle Project:

Six months after moving to Ottawa from Pakistan, my family rented our first house on 181 Frank Street in 1971.  It was small for a family of five; one living room, bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen all connected by a long, dark narrow hallway.  But it was a palace – our little nest.  It had a tiny deck in the backyard that threatened to be devoured by all kinds of weeds.  On sunny afternoons we’d stand out there and blow soap bubbles in the wind while dad dreamed of one day having a garden.  I remember sitting on the front porch after a rain storm eating a Popsicle, listening to Joni Mitchell sing “Clouds” on the radio.  I was six and a half.

Please Note: I’ll be taking the next couple of weeks off to work on some projects. I’ll be back on May 25, 2014. My Spring newsletter will be out shortly.

Other Related Links:
MOMA Wunderkammer
Little Paper Houses (Just Something I Made Blog)