Inter-uption

Year Time

In Helena Krobath’s Ghost Story Commute (2020) we ride the West Coast Express, a commuter train that typically brings workers into Vancouver in the morning, and back to the Fraser Valley, to the suburbs, in the evening. The WCE is not for inner-city travellers, and its schedule very clearly dictates that those who use it are not ‘from’ Vancouver, but travel into it only to work, before leaving again. It is neither welcoming nor accommodating outside of a nine-to-five schedule, and it does not encourage Vancouver residents to use the train to journey outside the city. Krobath articulates this from-elsewhere suburban experience and introduces the train’s migratory characters through the view of a travelling ghost who observes the passengers, their idiosyncrasies, their commuter habits. How are we when we travel? What ghosts do we ride with on these commutes? Do we know their histories as we ride the rails across the valley?

Listening instructions: Can be accessed anywhere, but imagined on the train itself or from vantage points along that route where the train can be observed. The West Coast Express departs at Waterfront and follows the CPR tracks along the inlet/river. Headphones recommended.

Credits: 
Sample from “Strange Consolation”, courtesy of Neck of the Woods 
Samples from "Stanley Cup Riots in Vancouver 2011, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," courtesy of Tetsuro Shigematsu

Helena Krobath "Ghost Story Commute"

Arts Assembly is a not for profit community-centric arts organization that emphasizes artistic collaboration. With a focus on social practices and research, we aim to foster relationships between the community and professional artists. We hope to expand the notion of what art can be and do, and provide a high calibre of diverse and inclusive arts programming.

Helena Krobath "Ghost Story Commute"

Arts Assembly

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