49 stories – Galeria Regia, Monterrey MX

49stories, an installation by Jfry Craig.
49 stories, an installation, appeared at Galeria Regia from February – March, 2007 as part of the Canada Week Celebrations in Monterrey, Mexico. 49 stories is said to be the web script found among dot.calm’s possessions after his death in 2004.

49 stories was an installation by Jfry Craig at Galeria Regia in the old arts district in Monterrey, Mexico. It opened February 12th, 2007 as part of the annual Canada week celebrations. The installation opened with the attendance of the Monterrey’s Cultural Minister and Mayor in attendance. The installation ran through March.

The installation featured video and sound pieces, as well as paintings and photography. The gallery with it’s open terrace provided a perfect compliment to the text-heavy work which composed most of the stories.

galeria regia, Monterrey MX

49 stories is said to be the web script found among dot.calm’s possessions after his death. The script was written in a sophisticated manner that takes full advantage of inter text. The story explores the life of Paul, a career sous-chef who never leaves Calgary during his 74 year life. Paul is obsessed with washing his hands, movies, shoes and the alphabet.

Jfry Craig has taken dot.calm’s webscript and tried to present it as an installation, combining video, sound, photos and writing in an attempt to best bring Paul to life for the viewer. This portion of the show will be very interactive, trying to replicate the feeling of the web by asking the viewer to become involved with the project, bringing their own ear phones, walking to pre-established areas of the room to reconsider previously seen pieces-reading and scanning en masse. A walking, talking choose your own adventure, through Paul’s life and the gallery space. Many of the objects used in the installation were found among dot.calm’s possessions post-mortem.

dot.calm painting close up.
dot.calm
dot.calm (FTB:FB:RIP) was a graffiti writer of no great repute. He wrote mostly in western Canada but if you look hard enough you can find his tags and posters pretty much all around North America and some parts of Asia. He started “writing” after being inspired by the street work of Basquiat and the prolific Canadian graffiti writer Trik1.

He wrote stories about a male character named [he] and a female character named [she]. 100s of them, everywhere he went, trying to leave a “book” for people to read, and characters to learn about that lived on the same streets as the reader. His characters subtlety explored ideas as far ranging as golf and films, but mostly they were concerned with exploring communication, words and human interactions that derive because of language and repetition.

dot.calm photo montage

He was found dead July 18, 2004, of a drug related overdose on the roof of Paolini’s Deli in Bridgeland, Calgary, Canada. This happens to be the site of his first arrest for mischief and there remains some speculation as to whether or not the overdose was accidental. The official police report reads only foul play, but his manuscript and the location, combined with a vigorous flyer campaign, seems to suggest that the death was intentional

For more information on the show, please visit:
www.49stories.com   www.brandingbydot.com   www.fb-crew.ca

Media links:
el porvenir
el semanario
Milenio



Funding provided by:
Canda Council for the Arts


Alberta Foundation for the Arts