WoT Gallery Blog: May 29/2018

Story time:

Today Zack and Alistiar came over. Zach was in the wot cycle # 3 show. I meet Zach randomly on the sidewalk of our street, when I was putting up a sign a few months back. He told me he was a photographer, and we connected—and I asked if he would like to exhibit his art work. He said yes.

 Fast forward a few months—he came to grab his equipment from the show he was involved with.  Zach brought over his friend Alistiar.  He wanted to show her the space and see the art from the exhibition. She was wonderful.  She lives in the neighbourhood too– and walks by our place daily. I got word from Zach a month ago that she has a phobia called Trypophobia-it is a phobia (intense, irrational fear, or anxiety) of irregular patterns or clusters of small holes or bumps. ..

A month ago Michael Undem who regularly comes over to make art at the house–  made gigantic bubbles on the side of the house. These bubbles could be seen from the sidewalk when people walked by. Alistiar walks by our house. This triggers her Tryphobia. She said she couldn’t walk by the house and would cross the street to avoid it. I brushed it off when Zack told me about it the first time. Next day, I was EA subbing in a grade 8/9 art class. One of the girls out of nowhere, tells me she a slight phobia of bee hive patterns–and remember the name– Tryphobia. What the hell, I thought. Odd. That night, after doing some research, Tryphobia is one of the most common phobias. There are people walking by our house, who get a negative reaction to our space and they will cross the street to avoid it. I don’t know how many in our neighboured, but at least two people.

Here she is today at the house that unsettles her. Alistiar is also an artist. I suggested to her, that she should rework the bubbles.  We could do a collaborate art project with her—she was hesitant at first. These bubbles fuck her up…