Art Spin Rickshaw Residency

Some invitations are just too wonderfully strange to pass up. That was the case when, last month, Casey Hinton invited me to participate in the July edition of Art Spin as their first writer-in-residence as part of her new Rickshaw Residency program. The idea was to hop into Chris Litt’s bicycle rickshaw, pen and notebook (though I also briefly considered bringing my laptop) in hand, and to accompany the tour of contemporary art exhibitions and installations, and to try to do some writing along the way.

It was my first time doing an Art Spin tour, and even though I initially worried I’d feel out of place and awkward (especially because I’m an avid cycler and would have loved to be pedaling alongside everyone), it was a fascinating evening that at one point saw me trying to take notes in a darkened screening room by the light of a glow stick necklace.

This week, I tried to write about the whole experience for Canadian Art online, which proved trickier than I thought. I can’t wait to see what the next resident gets up to on the August 29th tour, which you should all attend if you’re free that night. It’s a great way to say goodbye to the summer in Toronto.