FLEET
FLEET
Other Sights Producers Colin Griffiths & Marko Simcic in collaboration with artists Germaine Koh and Cedric Bomford, community planner/artist John Steil and architect Javier Campos.
2020-2024
FLEET Phase II Recommendations
Exploring moveable temporary artist studios in Vancouver.
The City of Vancouver has the highest density of artists per capita in Canada; however, over the past 10 years, it has lost more than 400,000 square feet of studio space.* In 2019, the City released its Making Space for Arts and Culture Vancouver cultural infrastructure plan report. It found that cultural spaces are among the most vulnerable (and artists the most vulnerable to space loss) as a result of increased land values and displacement of arts and cultural activities. As such, the City council committed to “optimize City policies, tools, programs, and investment priorities to secure, enhance, and develop vibrant, affordable, and accessible arts and cultural spaces.”
FLEET is a creative approach to compliment the community’s ongoing efforts to build more studio opportunities for artists. Responding to the loss of arts and culture hubs across Vancouver, FLEET is a multi-year project that aspires to plan, design and, pilot a FLEET of moveable studios for working artists. The project will place these studios on a temporary basis throughout the city and manage their ongoing use.
Phase one (2020-2021) was focused on planning. Engaging with city staff, artistic organizations, artists, community groups, landowners, and developers through surveys and interviews will allow the FLEET group to better gauge the opportunities and challenges of the project’s purpose of moveable temporary artist studios. A survey to the aforementioned community was given with close to 100 artists and organizations providing feedback.
Phase two (2021-2022) focussed on listening and integrating perspectives from Urban Indigenous and Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Host Nations.
Phase three (2023-2024) will undertake the construction of the first two FLEET studios and their eventual placement.
Phase four (2023-2024) will further define the stewardship and operational model for the studios to secure the their sustainability and longevity. For additional information on FLEET, or to get involved with the project email info@othersights.ca.
This project is produced by Other Sights in collaboration with Germaine Koh, Cedric Bomford, John Steil, and Javier Campos. It is supported by the City of Vancouver, The British Columbia Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts.
*This statistic came from the Eastside Culture Crawl Society 2019 report, A City Without Art? No Net Loss, Plus!
Image credit: All images taken by Sarah Race Photography with the exception of the Blue Cabin (taken by Jordan Schinkel). All images are of small studio spaces, some of which are mobile. These were used as meeting spaces during FLEET’s consultation process, so that meeting participants could gain insight into what a small studio space is like to work within.