Getting rid of the concrete jungle
By Cristina Naccarato
Lance Writer
September 16, 2009
The Green Corridor, an initiative first conceptualized by international artist Noel Harding and UWindsor professor Rod Strickland, aims to create a new view of Windsor for visitors coming over from the U.S.
Instead of the concrete jungle they’re currently welcomed by, Green Corridor wants to shift Windsor’s industrial look to look that is more emphasized on landscape.
The goal of this multi-disciplinary project is to generate a green redevelopment of the international bridge corridor linking Canada to the U.S.
The Green Corridor project is also offered as a visual arts course at UWindsor, allowing students from many different faculties and disciplines to engage and help the project grow to new levels.
The Green Corridor intersession class aided with Open Corridor, a festival of art, science, and community. Until Sept. 29, the display features public art exhibitions and performances along the 2 km stretch of Huron Church Rd. defined as the Green Corridor.
The festival includes works from acclaimed artists such as Harding, Strickland, Kim Adams, Iain Baxter&, David Blatherwick, Lucy Howe, Justin Langlois, Zeke Moores, Lee Rodney, Robert Weins, and Jennifer Willet.
If you’ve driven through the Green Corridor at all since June 18, you’ve probably noticed Baxter&’s giant “ECOLOGY” sign made of large pieces of plywood, or Adam’s luminescent 1986 Dodge 250 cargo van perforated with thousands of holes and lit from the interior entitled, “Auto-Lamp.”
If you were present at the grand opening of the Open Corridor festival, you would have been given one of Langlois’ biodegradable balloons filled with wildflower seeds with the statement, “You are worth it,” written on them, emphasizing the importance and value of the artistic community.
Highlights, documentation and an overview of the project is currently on display at the Art Gallery of Windsor.
As you enter the gallery, a giant black and white map of the Green Corridor stretch is laid across the main wall. Pin points indicating the specific exhibits are sprawled across the map along with photos, artist blurbs, and descriptions of the pieces.
As you move through the main floor of the AGW, you’ll also see several boards with ample information on the project’s goals as well as some of the research they have been conducting. There are also two televisions set up with informational videos depicting scale models and designs for future plans and projects The Green Corridor has been working on.
With the Open Corridor festival in place, more events are still to follow.
On Sept. 23 at 8 p.m., The Drive Through Symphony is taking place atop the Nature Bridge Pedestrian Overpass on Huron Church Rd. This project is a collaboration between The Green Corridor and composer/musician Brent Lee.
This symphony will incorporate the senses of sight, sound, and smell while integrating sounds from the passing vehicles. The entire performance will be broadcast live on CJAM 91.5 FM.
The Green Corridor is also holding an Open Community Video on Sept. 25 at 8 p.m., in the LeBel building’s parking lot (corner of College Ave. and Huron Church).
This outdoor public screening features programming from various community arts, environmental, and education groups in Windsor.
For more information about The Green Corridor project, visit their website at www.greencorridor.ca.
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