May 31, 2023 1:15am

I have worked in the arts for more than 30 years and in that time period I have had the privilege of handling some of the most revered and sacred cultural objects, artifacts, old manuscripts, photographs from the inception of the craft and art works made by many of the truly great creators of the last 600 years and in some rare cases over 2000 years. There are two that have particular significance to me and are very much like the Holy Grail of Canadiana – Tom Tompson’s paint box and right here, Al Purdy’s typewriter.  These two objects share many of the same qualities and should not be understated as to their significance – that is why I am here, allow me to wax on, I am going to really dig in here, hold on.

[side note: there are MANY other objects used by a diversity of Canadians not to be overlooked, these two have a certain level of notoriety and infamy they both share - and obviously, I’m here, now]

They are neither of them works of art, but without them, the works themselves would not have been made – sure I hear you, in either case they are but tools, conveniences to serve the purpose of creation and without them the ideas would still exist – but the tools become the transportation device from brain synapses to electric impulses, directing the hand-to-eye skill set, then repeat as the guy said, over 10,000 times. Combining the idea and inherent talent, to make real, from the void, the beautiful things we revere and to better understand the world throughout - new insight, perception and wonder become the gifts to humankind.  All as a result of these intermediary tools through which the spirit world of creation flows - between the unseen un-documentable dream place, to the tangible world, a physical world and in some cases into the reality of the collective consciousness.

These very personal shards of human experience lived and breathed, manifested from ideas become works of art, both literary and visual from places beyond our material day to day, but made visible and audible with these tools and materials.

Wouldn’t it be an amazing exhibition? – no actual art, just the objects that made the great works we love from the world over and from the dawn of human time.

With lots of contextual and referential text panels and interactive displays? Come to think of it, perhaps this has already been done and I am now committing the worst of possible art world crimes - to be derivative. If you are a big-shot curator and love this idea, give me a call and I would be happy to wax-on at much further length, assemble possible candidates, collaborate with REAL living artist…

Anyway here is THE THING I was fetishizing - and my embellishments, courtesy of my materials of choice –wetplate collodion and the old 8x10 Kodak 2D. All these are quick cellphone snaps of plates in the wash water and such, for the real images you’ll have to wait for the book.