DEAR PM vol.16
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Nov 2, 2016 at 1:03 AM
subject Trudeau nomme six sénateurs du Québec; Donald Trump gets support he may not want — from official newspaper of the Ku Klux Klan
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I’m sorry, I’m so tired right now but I survived the bus to Ottawa, a day at work, walking home and changing and then meeting friends at the Manx, including seeing a friend I haven’t seen since the NSCAD days, Erin is here for the Sobey award, then home for supper with Julia and Greg after getting a couple bottles of wine and watching the ball game and then texts from Clark and so went to meet him and Jessica at a bar in the market and running into Pan and a whole bunch of folks and more drinks and karaoke (I never got the confidence to sing) and then finally the walk home and now just need to sleep.
This morning, as most mornings when I leave, the hardest thing is kissing my family goodbye, co rose and sol, especially sol sleeping just breaks my heart to leave.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Nov 2, 2016 at 10:29 PM
subject Les édifices fédéraux devront être alimentés à l’«énergie propre» d’ici 2025; Trudeau accused of stacking Senate with small-l liberals for big-L Liberal policies
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day of work, slightly hung over. Went to to gym tonight but forgot my short, so just had a shower and a sauna. Met a new Tinder date at the Manx, where I had met Jenn and Charles yesterday, it’s my default bar. She and I have many, many friends in common. It was a good date, I think. Came home to watch the ball game with Greg and Julia. Cubs ahead now 5-1. Not sure how much longer I can stay up, haven’t caught up on all my sleep from the big party saturday. Really wish the commentators for the game would stop referring to Cleveland as “The Indians”. For the past few days we’ve been installing the Alex Janvier show. There is a lot of work and I feel it could do with some editing. Why am I still watching baseball? Two runs on a wild pitch makes it somewhat interesting. Another home run, now 6-3. Don’t really care who wins, though I prefer the Cubs, mostly because of team names. Now in bed. Should I read Boyden or watch Netflix? Damn you Netflix.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Nov 4, 2016 at 3:54 PM
subject La GRC et le SCRS ne surveillent pas les journalistes, dit Trudeau; Peter MacKay won’t endorse any Tory leadership candidate, warns against identity politics ‘swamp’
Dear Justin,
I am still alive.I survived another day at work, where may I remind you that I love my job? It’s not just the breaks, or the PSAC union, or the health benefits, not the fact that I am now paying into a government pension, but I get to work around art all day long. Sometimes hanging it, sometimes just moving it around to make room for more. Yesterday I forgot to tell you that as we were moving a large Janvier painting out from RCL (conservation services) we saw MC and a few adolescents in the hallway. The kids were there because it was a ‘bring your teen to work day’ and they asked to see the painting as we were heading into the freight elevator so we wheeled it around and the looks on their faces just made my day, maybe my whole week. They were just so fascinated, and it made me realize that holy f*ck, I work around art all day, and we forget some times that even a single painting (and not even an amazing painting), can hold the potential for awe and transformative experience. So, to be brief, I love my job. You can lead us into debt, you may claim that the budgets will balance themselves, you can give yourself and senators and other MPs raises because you can, you have the power and it is the easy way, but I think you do this because you are lulled into complacency and fueled by greed. If you really loved your job (the job part, not the selfie part, not the getting elected part or the popularity contest part), if you loved your job, which as I see it is public service, then you’d slash salaries or at the very basic, freeze them, because honestly anyone making over $100K/year is not understanding what it is like to struggle, even a little bit. That’s not even middle class. Not even close.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Fri, Nov 4, 2016 at 11:02 PM
subject Les pouvoirs du SCRS seront examinés, dit le ministre Goodale; Boyfriend of killer Kelly Ellard, now pregnant in jail, is suspect in drug dealer’s disappearance: documents
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived work and then the bus ride back to Montreal. It took 3 hours on the bus, an hour just to get to central station from Kirkland, mostly due to congestion on the 15 sud. If this happens again I’m hopping out and walking to Namur station. The kids were glad to see me and even enjoyed their surprises, which weren’t toys or anything Paw Patrol but just Robert Munsch books. Clo headed out with the AC crew to celebrate Kent and Laurent’s birthdays but I want to concentrate on the kids this weekend and less babysitters. Tomorrow is an opening at Oboro but Sunday might be a free full family day. I’m going to finish watching Trainspotting, which I started last night after seeing a trailer for a sequel. Oh, and I bought a couple of “I stand with Standing Rock” tee-shirts, doing my small, small part to support people that put so much of themselves on the line trying to stop pipelines and fracking. Fossil fuels should be treated the way illicit drugs have been: Just Say No. And all drugs should be legal and regulated, haha! Have a freaky friday, a good weekend and don’t forget to change your clocks on Sunday.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Sun, Nov 6, 2016 at 12:41 AM
subject Le Parti libéral du Canada réfute les attaques sur son éthique; Governor General ends Middle East tour by calling for negotiated peace between Palestine and Israel
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived an art day with the kids, we went to the Belgo to check out some shows in the afternoon. Played Legos and trainsets with the kids in the morning, they watched surprisingly little video for waking up at 6am. Shows we liked: The double Pierre Ayot shows at Galerie Graff and Joyce Yahouda, and my colleague Andrew’s paintings at Dominique Boufard, but Sol was tuckered out (no nap) so we continued on to the opening at Oboro, little painted box-like constructions, some that move, some with buttons to trigger movement and sound, it was ok. Grabbed take-out from Tousignant on the way home (we drove, obs) and Sol had a bath (wanting to play with the Lego rocket he made this morning), Rose watched Beetlejuice (I bought it this time, $10 for SD on iTunes), then Romy came over to babysit (after volunteering at Oboro) and I met up with Clo at the studio (she now shares with Sarah and Pascal) for the post-verinissage supper (Indian) and drinks and conversation. Now back home about to tackle the new New Yorker before crashing, tired already.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Nov 7, 2016 at 10:25 PM
subject Ottawa investit 1,5 milliard dans la protection des océans; Come forward or risk having photos published, Toronto police tell suspects in U.S. man’s death
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the rest of the weekend, a trip to St. Jerome to see Vincent’s expo at the contemporary arts museum there, and the return to Ottawa this morning. Nicole picked me up at the Tims on our corner and I was at work by 9:15, mostly working on Janvier. Stopped at at a couple souvenir shops on the way home looking for a toy skidoo for Sol to no avail. Went to the Y to work out, then had supper with Greg and Julia. Watched some TV, read the paper. Now tired and going to bed.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 12:12 AM
subject Maxime Bernier affûte ses armes pour le premier débat; Proposed Alberta legislation would allow indicating third gender on government documents
Dear Justin,
WTF, America? -chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Nov 9, 2016 at 11:32 PM
subject Trudeau invite Trump au Canada «à la première occasion»; Python owner found not guilty of criminal negligence in death of young brothers
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived a slow day of work, shock of imagining what the next four years could bring. Trump will pick judges. He will try to back the US out of the Paris Treaty, he doesn’t believe in science or climate change and Peter Mansbridge fumbled the ball when interviewing Ann Coulter tonight on the National. I mean, the electoral college screwed America, didn’t Hillary win the popular vote? I guess you’ll have to put all your drama teaching into meeting Trump seem like a normal thing.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Nov 10, 2016 at 9:28 PM
subject Kathryn Spirit: les travaux de préparation commenceront en décembre; Kellie Leitch is rallying against ‘elites’ while holding a $500-a-person fundraiser organized by lawyers
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. But so sick of seeing Orange Man in my F-book feed, I think I need to take a break again. From all news. After everything that has been happening lately, from the Dakota Access Pipeline to Trump, and now Leonard Cohen has died. And to top it off I arrived at the bus station today at 4:15 after sneaking in a quick session at the YMCA only to find that I had bought a 4:30 departure for TOMORROW, and had to spend another $40 to catch the 5pm bus TONIGHT. A grand total of $65, or simply $10 less than the train would have been, and I had considered as it would avoid ALL traffic, but luckily in the end the bus was an express and I was home by 8. Rose was asleep already but Sol came out for his surprise, he was so happy to see me (and his surprise of course: a Ryder on his ATV, what he’s been asking for for months). He went to bed to play with it and while I reheated leftovers for supper the poor guy comes down the hall with his pyjamas around his ankles, a bit upset: he’s peed on the bathroom floor by mistake, trying to get on the toilet. He says he’s made a big, big accident, but I tell him it’s not big at all, just little, a little accident, and that he was a big boy for trying all by himself. And back to bed he went to put Ryder in his cave made in the blankets while I ate and made progress on Through Black Spruce. Waiting for Clo to come home from working late.
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Nov 14, 2016 at 7:15 AM
subject Les yeux du Canada pour débusquer l’EI; First Nation accepts $50 million settlement with federal government for lost land in Nanaimo, B.C
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. Still sick of Orange Man and avoiding news. Tried to enjoy the weekend. A few positive experiences: volunteered to help clean Rose’s classroom Friday morning for a couple hours. Sylvie had all the kids help as well, getting them fully involved. Went to our municipal office to talk to an urbaniste to try to get the front door we want, but they wouldn’t budge on the 3/4 matching glass side panels so we’ve elected to not change our door at all. So now the building will have 3/4 of the front doors replaced at once but we’ll paint ours to match more closely. Met Victoria for lunch downtown to catch up on DHC gossip and then met Clo at Concordia for the afternoon session of presentations on theories and methodologies of Indigenous art history in North America, mostly because David Garneau was presenting and Claudine has included him in a writer’s circle at Oboro next year and wanted to hear him (and wow). We got a nice “no pipelines on Indigenous land” poster made by another presenter Dylan Miner who makes lo-rider bikes. Then home to get the kids, made supper and Suzie came over to babysit and Sarah W. joined us as we went to Nadège’s birthday party but didn’t stay too too late. The weekend! The kids up at 6:30 to watch videos and eat cereal. Rose is doing so well learning to read and write. We attempted another all-family Belgo visit to see Karen’s opening at Hugues’ she made great papier mâché camels and horses but we couldn’t stay to break the piñatas as the kids were tired and sick of galleries. Dropped Clo off at the park near Leonard Cohen’s house for the giant hum and singalong. Started watching Inherent Vice on Netflix but fell asleep 3/4 thru; Clo managed to stay awake for about an 1/8. We had planned to go to Alexis’ party celebrating his 40 years but just didn’t have the juice. My parents arrived yesterday after we had a visit with Sarah W. and Pascal to see their new kitten Holiday and I took Sol to a birthday party for Axyl, a boy from his daycare (he re-gifted the Lego helicopter I had got him last month). I’m a little over halfway through Through black spruce, will continue now, on the bus, heading to Ottawa. Here are my notes taken during Garneau’s presentation. The Greek Ûber driver story was that I wanted to remind myslef about this driver I had on Friday who told me how he immigrated to Canada because after 4 years working at sea he couldn’t handle being seasick every day and jumped ship in Quebec City then came to Montreal and has been writing his life story (4,500 pages!) but isn’t looking to publish, he’s just recording his memories thoughts and experiences. And the smiling woman I saw on the metro must have had such interesting thoughts going through her head as she was so animated and expressive, and I was fascinated watching her, and felt I should note it somewhere, and here is generally a good a place as any. Am I disturbing any methodologies with this project?
Hoarding a colonial symptom; indigenous attachment to the living, to memory, to stories Future:
Objects are returned
(Manitou stone meteorite)
New indigenous narratives?
Collected as art? They don’t know what the collectors have (Janvier paintings are land claims) Bundles
Events scores (fluxus to 94 TRC recommendations)
Need instructions to lead to actions
Reconciliation to do good things with tainted cash (collaborations)
Disturb methodologies
Ongoing relationships
Make progress thru unease
(Coalition too comfortable not effective)
(Greek über driver story 4500 pages + smiling woman on metro)
Metaphysical knowing over theory
Performances made for the space over audience
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Nov 15, 2016 at 11:44 PM
subject Raul Castro discute des États-Unis avec Justin Trudeau; B.C. mother asks court to keep aboriginal ‘cleansing’ ceremony out of public schools
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another couple days at work, slowly oh so slowly getting the Janvier show together. Today got stuck in the elevator for 5 minutes, the masonite had slipped over the edge. Met up with a prof at U of O to discuss bronze casting options for the Everyday Goalie, he was super-helpful and inspired me to start looking for a studio so I can possibly make most of the waz molds myself. Made my Tinder profile active again and have been busy swiping left and right. Went to the Y again then home to eat with Julia, and watched the Habs lose in overtime to Florida. No biggie.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Nov 16, 2016 at 10:54 PM
subject Réforme électorale: le NPD favorable à un référendum pancanadien; ‘Hardy, intelligent’ gray jay beats out favoured loon as Canadian geographic society’s pick for national bird
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived a busy day at work, taking down part of the Joseph Beuys show and soft-packing the drawings. It was my turn next for a trip so I will be accompanying the drawings with Guy to Toronto next week either Monday or Tuesday, also to get some Russian works. Walked to and from work as it was drizzling this morning and I didn’t want to get wet. After work went to the Y and tonight spent some time trying to find studios for rent. Very, very slim pickings in Ottawa. I’m getting a bit worried because I think I may face tax penalties if I don’t spend a good chunk of $$$ on the Everyday Goalie bronze in this fiscal year. If I do go ahead and make most of the wax myself then I can buy a bunch of silicone, wax and rent a studio for a few months and bump up costs – as well as make headway on the sculpture. Also I still need to shoot the Ottawa sequences and Clark may help next week except it will be cold and we have no light. Why did I wait so long? Am I going to have to green screen Ottawa too, even though I,m here most of the time? What bad planning.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Nov 17, 2016 at 10:52 PM
subject Haïti: la ministre Bibeau rassurée sur la gestion des dons; Ontario byelection results: PC candidate Sam Oosterhoff, 19, becomes youngest ever elected to legislature
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I not only survived another day at work, but came up with an idea for an art project that is either fantastically-great or ridiculously-stupid. You decide. I was tasked this morning with wrapping up some unsolicited paintings to be returned to sender. This had me thinking that I could effectively “make work” for myself another others at the museum, not just the techs wrapping but the curators and conservationists who would need to look at the works before rejecting them, probably some project managers to create all the paperwork, the return shipping, etc., by sending more artwork, unsolicited, for consideration as donation. I have just the painting in mind for the first one: that painting that was returned to me after 20 years by a woman who bought it from me when Karina and I ran a gallery from our apartment on Germain Street called the Vision Room. It’s a terrible painting, and should be rejected no problem. I wonder how long the process will take? In other news I went to an artist talk (of sorts) at the OAG tonight which was not as bad as I was expecting it to be, given I didn’t know the artists and when I did see her paintings I was slightly underwhelmed, and also the title of the talk was Melanie Authier and her gallerist, Georgia Scherman, for a conversation about artist/gallerist relationships, the business of painting, and the art of collecting. Now in bed planning to read a bit before lights out, my parents are coming with the kids tomorrow to get me after work, I sent them a long list of possible things they can do in Ottawa for the few hours they will be here. Next week they’ll come for more time and visit with Julia and Greg.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Nov 21, 2016 at 7:10 AM
subject L’APEC veut prôner une approche modérée de la mondialisation; Trudeau says he will miss Obama as APEC leaders look for way around Trump on trade
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the weekend. The kids were a bit crazy in the car leaving Ottawa on Friday, in the end my folks had visited with friends and the kids played in a park the afternoon so they had no time to visit the gallery. I want the kids to see where I work, but it will have to happen some other time. Then Sol needed to go caca just after we got on the 417, and then had a fit when we didn’t buy Pez dispensers at the gas station. Spent the evening in, next day we all took a drive to the north shore to walk in a park, playing hide- n-seek with the kids. Took Rose to see a movie in the afternoon, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Gifted Children, which was a tad too scary for Rose. Way too scary in fact, she asked to leave with a half hour to go, and the poor thing was scared for the rest of the weekend. Similar I’m sure to how my brother Trevor and I were scared out of our wits watching Poltergeist on TV back when we were kids. In the evening Clo and SRoberts and I went to see the Handmaiden by Park Chan-wook, which was quite good. Stopped to discuss over cocktails and grilled cheese at a trendy bar called Henrietta on Laurier. Had to collect Rose from my folks’ room when we came home, as she was scared to sleep alone. Those eyeball-eating monsters from Tim Burton’s imagination really did a number on her. I’m more worried if this bus has winter tires, as the driver is pushing on at a pace that seems to ignore the winter blizzard. The kids will be happy to see that the snow lasted the night even though we somehow managed to forget Rose’s winter jacket at the park the other day. Bad parents! I did tinker a bit on Sol’s Air Patroller and he quite liked the fact that the turbines now turn in unison. My dad has been tinkering on Rose’s bike, giving it a good tune-up and cleaning. I’m going to catch a few zzzs on the bus before getting into Ottawa and work.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Nov 22, 2016 at 11:31 PM
subject Trudeau abordera les droits des LGBTQ au sommet de la Francophonie; Brian Hutchinson: The fentanyl scourge, up close in a Vancouver alley
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the truck ride with Guy to Toronto to drop off the Beuys works to the David Thompson residence and those unsolicited donations I wrapped last week. Tomorrow we’re getting a few crates from the airport before heading back to Ottawa. I posted to Facebook asking what to do in Toronto tonight and Lukas Pierce responded about a show he was playing with Tyler Messick at a great little music venue called the Burdock. I walked there from the hotel, eating at a Burrita Boys on the way, and took an Über back to the Chelsea Hotel, where I’m staying for the night. And now I’m in bed, having taken some cough medication and I’m drowsy. Bonne Nuit Toronto!
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 11:20 PM
subject La réfection du 24 Sussex pourrait coûter 38 millions; Author Steven Galloway confirms sexual assault accusation in first statement after mysterious UBC firing
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived the drive back to Ottawa, after taking some measurements at the McMichael for an upcoming show in 2017 where they want to borrow Joyce Weiland’s Reason over Passion, and then waiting a few hours at the airport for some Russian abstract paintings and drawings to clear customs. We didn’t get back to Ottawa and offload the crates until 9:30, and now I’m exhausted.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Thu, Nov 24, 2016 at 11:54 PM
subject Remplacement des CF-18: 235 fonctionnaires contraints au silence; Liberals order 235 military personnel, bureaucrats to take fighter jet details to the grave
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day at work, a couple off-site visits to 921 to move some Keith Haring sculptures and to drop off an unused Janvier back to INAC. Went for beers and a bite to eat with a bunch of the techs and met Nicole at the Clock tower, then went back to the gallery for the Janvier opening. He spoke quite eloquently, not at all bad for 81 years old, and there was a great attendance. I hope he was right in that a strong gathering like tonight is a start of something, something communal, something that binds us to do right.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Mon, Nov 28, 2016 at 11:20 PM
subject Justin Trudeau n’ira pas aux funérailles de Fidel Castro; Conspiracy theorists rush to point blame at Jason Kenney after Wildrose office break-in
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. Fidel Castro is not. I survived the return to Montreal, the weekend with my family, and the return to Ottawa today. I slept almost the whole way, my parents texting me as they passed the bus, they were heading back to NB after a weekend in Ottawa. Not only did they stop by the gallery on Friday and stay for over an hour, but they came back on Saturday with Julia and her sister-in-law to see to the Janvier show. Work was work, then I went to the Y, then picked up some groceries and wine, then back to J&G for supper and watching mindless TV – American Horror Story. It takes longer to get around by just walking. I’m going to look at a possible studio space on Thursday, FYI that is still a thing, me possibly making art. Now I must sleep.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Tue, Nov 29, 2016 at 10:45 PM
subject Le PCC demande à Joly de dire non à un financement accru de Radio-Canada; Defence calls not witnesses at trial of three polygamists charged with trafficking teen daughters
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day at work, then walked across the Alexandra bridge to meet Gilles and had supper with my in laws, a lovely chicken and couscous that Rose-Marie prepared. I see you approved the Kinder-Morgan pipeline, much to the chagrin of environmentalist, Indigenous peoples and anyone with a forward-looking conscience. I look forward to protesting and battling this, the Dakota Access, Keystone and Trans-Canada and pretty much any other new pipeline or dirty fossil-fuel project you plan to approve. Transition already! If you can be all gutsy and run $30-billion deficits then why not go all-in and ignore fossil-fuel subsidies and lobbyists and switch to renewables immediately.
-chris
from chris lloyd
to pm@pm.gc.ca
date Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 11:10 PM
subject Une rencontre fédérale-provinciale le 9 décembre pour discuter du clim; Front line in pipeline wars moves east
Dear Justin,
I am still alive. I survived another day at work, opened It’s a girl by Ron Mueck so it could be inspected by a conservateur; the work is scheduled to be loaned out next year. I was planning to go to a demonstration outside the Supreme Court after work, but the drizzly weather turned me into a chicken and I went to the gym instead. Too tired now to follow-up on email I sent to TD about their financing of DAPL. Going to bed.
-chris
DEAR PM 