Independent media needs you. Join the Tyee.

The Hook: Political news, freshly caught

More Enbridge hearing mischief: 'Quick fix' installation

The joint review hearings for Enbridge's Northern Gateway project in Vancouver, which wrapped up on Friday, inspired a bit of an artistic mischief in the city's downtown core over the past few weeks.

Mid-January, a large blue "überdrop" landed outside the Sheraton Wall Centre, as the Joint Review Panel heard testimony from the community inside.

And then, on Friday, the SUV with the giant addiction problem seen in the photo above appeared outside the hearings. "Quick Fix" is an art installation by engineer Hugh Patterson. It took six weeks and three recycled 55-gallon steel oil barrels -- two originally containing industrial cutting fluid, and one for jet fuel -- along with other art scrapes to pull the provocative piece together, Patterson told The Tyee.

Here's what else Patterson had to say about the piece:

"This work was born from my own struggle to come to terms with my relationship with oil, the carbon economy and how to speak my heart and mind in a way that would be heard.

"Quick Fix was done at this time and place as those feelings were solidified by the roar of opposition to the Northern Gateway Pipeline. I needed a way for my voice to be heard at the JRP Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline hearings. Since the start of the review process many smart, articulate people have proposed real solutions to the destruction being cause by the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Their answers aren't being considered in a meaningful way. My aim was to add to these voices in a unique way that will jar the short-sighted politicians, company leaders and citizens into realizing the damage their addiction is causing.

"Oil companies and politicians are giving us false choices -- jobs, economic growth and government services or the preservation of our planet. We have the opportunity now to use the resources we have to build a new economy based on renewable energy, but like an addict, we are unable to see all the possibilities to change and act rationally."

Robyn Smith reports for The Tyee.

Find more in:

What have we missed? What do you think? We want to know. Comment below. Keep in mind:

Do:

  • Verify facts, debunk rumours
  • Add context and background
  • Spot typos and logical fallacies
  • Highlight reporting blind spots
  • Ignore trolls
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity
  • Connect with each other

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist or homophobic language
  • Libel or defame
  • Bully or troll
  • Troll patrol. Instead, flag suspect activity.
comments powered by Disqus