Perhaps the fascination is the difference from our normal day-to-day lives. We’re repulsed, but we feel sorry for them. We don’t want them around, but feel we should help. Somehow. Some of them are very resourceful in their use of materials. Some are plain crazy, or have priorities very, very different from ours.
Images and Statement by waferboard
My morning commute takes me down the long hill of uptown New Westminster to Columbia Skytrain, and, at the other end, from Main Street up Quebec to a little shy of Broadway. Along the way, at both ends, are the regular and not-so-regular encampments of people – many who almost seem like neighbours after a while. Sometimes we exchange pleasantries of the “nice morning” variety.
Seasons are important
There are two main seasons for the homeless people I encounter: summer and the wet cold season. It’s rare to have the same person stay in the same spot for a year. Perhaps homeless isn’t the right word either. For some of these people, these spaces are home. I don’t know them well enough to know what happens to them. Where did Ben go during the Olympics? What happened to that friendly guy who doubled as the church’s grounds-keeper? They’ve both disappeared. Somehow I feel vaguely culpable. Could I have done more?
Olympics
There was a thriving homeless, or alternatively-domiciled community at the foot of False Creek up until the Fall of 2009. Many were “wheel” people. They had elaborate contraptions that were hauled by bicycles, and they seemed to migrate during the day from the shores of the inlet up the train tracks towards the Home Depot, and then back again. They’ve disappeared, and now the area is curiously devoid of baggage trains and their handlers. I’d like to think they were given homes, but I have to admit I’m skeptical. What’s really nourishing that sod roof of the convention centre?
The photos
These shots were taken over several years. They’re not ordered. I was most interested in how shelters were created, or absent. They’re biased towards 6th Street in New Westminster, especially the Anglican Church at the bottom of the hill by the Columbia Skytrain Station and the bit of Quebec just South of Terminal.
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Other resources
Flickr groups:
Homeless in Vancouver: the name says it all.
Ben’s Stuff : created by a co-work and myself to document the interesting character we think was called Ben. Ben didn’t talk, but he had a real thing for wheels. We think Ben and Izzy had something going for a while, and wrote notes to each other, which we carefully took photos of. Ben disappeared before the Olympics. I hope he’s ok.
Blog post: I wrote a post about homeless people in New Westminster for the hyper-local blog Tenth to the Fraser.
I then tried to fix it a bit on my “waferisms” blog: in January, 2009. It’s a little dated now. I should revisit it, because there have been interesting developments.
Who’s “waferboard”
I work for a publishing company, and some interest in what that word means now. By trade I’m a production artist, but I use the term “artist” rather loosely, ha!
I can be found at: flickr & Twitter
Blogs:
waferisms.blogspot.com
waferboard.blogspot.com
waferboard.posterous.com
