VERTICAL INTERSECTION: HISTORIC HOUSE SPROUTS ANEW

Program Review | Dominica Tang and Lindsay Chisholm

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Mackenzie House Museum is hosting the "Vertical Intersections Installation, Workshop & Pok¡ Launch" created by Diana Guzman of IDITA Design Services, every Sunday between January 19th and 26th as part of the DesignTO2020 festival. Guzman is a multidisciplinary industrial designer and architect that works with several mediums to create human centered designs. Her newest product, named Pok¡, is a paper-based, yet waterproof, sleeve that holds small plants that can be decorated with crayon and hung indoors or outdoors. They start out as a single sheet of paper and is transformed into a three-dimensional plant-holder with a few folds. Pok¡ is named endearingly after the pouch’s poke-ability and is an expression of Guzman’s passion for bringing people together through art and gardening.

Photograph courtesy of Dominica Tang and Lindsay Chisholm

At Mackenzie House Museum, the plants are hung on an upright rack creating a living exhibit that displays the personalities and creativity of individuals who share an interest in Guzman’s work; hence, a “vertical intersection.” The Vertical Intersection program serves as a quasi- communal garden that fits perfectly in the concrete jungle where green spaces are far and few between. It caters to anyone looking for a mini escape from the brutal wintriness of January and wishes to be in the presence of some greenery, creativity and great company.

While we sipped Moringa tea from Colombia and listened to El_Búho and Nicolă Cruz’s music, the ambiance of Mackenzie House museum shifted from being strictly a pedagogical atmosphere to a more relaxed space for open discussion. Each of us relinquished personal stories about our love for plants and our studies, which was followed by laughter. This eased us into a creative mindset where we felt connected and comfortable within the space. After an in-depth presentation on her creative process, Guzman demonstrated and patiently guided us through the assembly process at our own pace. This felt more like a conversation among friends than an educational tutorial. Finally, we decorated our Pok¡s with crayon and placed a small plant of our choice in each one. Here are our finished plant-abodes:

Photograph courtesy of Dominica Tang and Lindsay Chisholm

Toronto, during the long, barren winter months, can feel restrictive, isolating, and cold. This can make any Torontonian, especially those residing in our infamous shoe box-sized apartments, feel gloomy and disconnected. Newcomers, who may not have a local support system, can be further afflicted by the winter blues. Spaces of greenery can help relieve these feelings and serve as an oasis to escape the slush and greyness of the Torontonian winter. Guzman’s project creates green spaces to foster community building; it, as she puts it

“invite[s] locals into shared public space to grow plants, share stories, and create community. It nourishes opportunities for interaction and new friendships fighting loneliness and social isolation; grows awareness of local ecosystems and the importance of their protection and integration into urban landscapes, and educates the community to reclaim and create more green urban spaces.” 

Dominica Tang, Lindsay Chisholm and Diana Guzman. Photograph courtesy of deMirandaProducciones

Mackenzie House Museum's decision to host Vertical Intersections is something worth thinking about when considering the value and purpose of museum programming. Green spaces are not often associated with small historic houses. Furthermore, there is no obvious connection to the history of the museum, William Lyon Mackenzie, or to printing. Yet, it ties in with and enunciates the underlying values of Mackenzie House Museum, namely community building, diversity, and the well-being of their visitors. Museums in Toronto are striving to become loci of community building, but some museums activities such as self-explored and guided tours, though valuable in their own right, are not appropriate tools for such a goal.

A Pok¡ for Museum Studies Student Association (MUSSA) and one for Musings. Photograph courtesy of Dominica Tang and Lindsay Chisholm

Admission into the museum and attendance to the program is free, creating an inclusive and accessible environment. The space is inviting and allows for a wider range of visitors to attend, with a wider breadth of interests that not only pertain to history. There are few social spaces left, outside of our own homes, where we can gather and not expect to pay. Here, we can fully be in the moment and enjoy each other’s company without the looming guilt of spending money on leisurely and self-care activities.

Mackenzie House Museum, the structure and institution, and its community benefits from green-based programming. Participants bring a new liveliness and form connections to the space by taking care of the plants and colouring the Pok¡s with their own personal touch. This process helps visitors associate new memories and meaning with Mackenzie House Museum and can, potentially, change their perception of what a museum can be. A symbiotic relationship is formed resulting in the ongoing care of the heritage site.

Stay tuned for more museum programming adventures with Dominica and Lindsay, your program purveyors!

Photograph courtesy of Dominica Tang and Lindsay Chisholm