DOS PERSONAJES
RECORREN LA CIUDAD
PARA ENCONTRARSE
EN LA FICCIÓN

A través de lo virtual nos contactamos para hablar de los espacios físicos que recorremos todos los días y las impresiones que dejan en nosotras. Nos hicimos preguntas y compartimos la cotidianidad de cada una.

CONEXIÓN DE
LÍNEAS
INTERMITENTES

Creamos una ciudad a partir de cómo nos imaginamos las lugares donde viven los otros.


Cuestionamos la existencia de líneas que separan. Narramos nuestra propia ciudad y encontramos un punto medio que posibilitara el encuentro de dos hemisferios.

Karen Shangguan es ilustradora. Crea narrativas sutiles inspiradas por aspectos silenciosos como sentimientos, sensaciones y objetos preciosos.Su trabajo se caracteriza por lo cálido, lo humano y la presencia del mundo natural.

https://www.karenshangguan.com/

Para hablar sobre nuestras ciudades nos hicimos una serie de preguntas según nuestros intereses particulares.

BLIND DATE / CITA A CIEGAS es un proyecto de creación de un cómic en conjunto entre una artista canadiense y una artista colombiana, un ejercicio propuesto por el Festival de Cómic de Toronto (TCAF) y el Ministerio de Cultura.

Las ganadoras de la beca para el 2019 son Karen Shagguan y Laura Cañas.

Las historietistas Karen Shangguan y Laura Cañas nos reunimos en este ejercicio de crear un cómic en conjunto para preguntarnos sobre la posibilidad de una ciudad imaginaria que mediara entre Vancouver y Medellín -los lugares que habitamos (respectivamente)-.

Laura Cañas es dibujante y periodista.Hace grabado en linóleo y escribe.Le gustan los datos raros, las anécdotas curiosas, dibujar ciudades y contar historias. Encuentra en
la historieta un lenguaje para
combinar las narrativas escritas
y visuales.

https://www.instagram.com
/seafilantijeras/

KAREN DIBUJÓ LO QUE SE IMAGINABA SOBRE MEDELLÍN. LAURA DIBUJÓ LO QUE SE IMAGINABA SOBRE VANCOUVER.

VERTICALIDAD IMAGINARIA

(Medellín y Vancouver quedan en el mismo país)

MEDELLÍN


Karen: What does the city look/feel like to you?

Laura: Medellín is orange, also very green. Orange because most of the buildings aren’t painted, and green because there’s a lot of trees, plants, and we are surrounded by mountains, you can see them in all the horizon. It’s warm, no only because of the climate (that most of the time is tempered), it is like the “aura” of the city, the streets, the people, the parks, the barrio’s mini markets where you can drink beer (we call the beer “pola”), etc. I think in general is very organized, like there’s zones for industry, residences, little parks all over the city, there’s also a lot, a lot of shopping centers and malls, and it used to be very calm, like you could go to any point of the city in 15 or 25 minutes max., but now there are too many people (from other countries and cities and new generations, i guess), too many cars, traffic jam, too many people not being able to breathe on the Metro (the city train, that is like the pride of Medellín, the politics are always talking and boasting about these).

It used to be a small city, now the neighborhoods almost reach the top of the mountains. Some neighborhoods (or barrios in Colombian spanish) are slums. The slums are made by little houses, everything is very near between them. The richest people lives in big houses on the outskirts or country places.

Karen: What is your favourite place in the city?

Laura: It’s a park near to my house, it’s called Parque de la Frontera (frontera means border) because in one block to the south ends Medellín and starts a next city, Envigado*, the park is a little hill of almost 100 meters, there’s tooo many trees, eucalyptus and others that i don’t know their names. There’s a lot of birds and insects (crickets, butterflies, cicada (chicharra), worms). Sometimes i go there, lay on the bench made by tree’s trunks, just to see the sky through the leaves and branches of the eucalyptus. The park is a shelter in the middle of the urban routine, it has an interesting story, near from there exists a field that was -supposly- a property to a family of drug dealers, los Ochoa, it’s said that they protected the little forest of the park to refugee their houses, and there’s an abandoned building behind the park but the trees are so tall that you can’t see it from the park.

Karen: Are there places you like to go alone?

Laura: I like to go to this park La frontera and cinema. Also love to walk around the city by myself, go to a cafe or library.

Karen: What are the people like? Is it busy?

Laura: Some people are always in rush, you can see this on the downtown, but i think, in general, is like calm people, i feel like people enjoys being on the street, they take their time, stops for a refreshing drink or to eat something.

Karen: What is the weather like? Is it always sunny?

Laura: Sunny, not always but its how i always remember it: not clouded, bright, fresh. But in reality some times is very, very hot, i think it can reach 35 celsius, and some other times rains and is cold.

Karen: What kind of pets are common in the city?

Laura: Dogs, there’s a lot of dogs, different races, but is very common huskees and wolf type dogs, beagles and golden retriever. I love them.

Karen: What is something you want your city to have?

Laura: Beach!! the perfect missed detail. I’ll send you pictures later



VANCOUVER

Karen: Medellin sounds so lovely the way you describe it! It sounds a little similar to Vancouver but different as well!

Laura: Is Vancouver big or small?

Karen: I think Vancouver is pretty big, not as big as other places, but it’s still a busy city! There is Vancouver the main city and small cities around it.

Laura: How is the rich zones and the poverty zones?

Karen: There is downtown Vancouver where all the businesses are so I think that’s considered the richest area, there’s a lot of skyscrapers and modern buildings, a lot of reflections! You can see a lot of people dressed in business suits going into fancy restaurants and shops there! Vancouver attracts a lot of investors, making everything very expensive including housing, so we have a lot of homeless people. Gastown and Chinatown are near downtown Vancouver and that’s where a lot of the homeless live and beg for money, there are also parks where the homeless sleep in tents. I like to go to Gastown and Chinatown sometimes, because there’s a lot of culture and history there, the homeless are usually nice and won’t bother you.

Laura: Which is your favorite building

Karen: Hmm... this is tough, there are a lot of nice buildings in Vancouver! The first one I can think of is the Vancouver Art Gallery, it’s very big and old and it looks like a detailed European building, it feels a little out of place with all the modern buildings around it, but I like it! There is a beautifully decorated atrium inside and it makes you feel very fancy and reminds you of the renaissance period! I also like the Vancouver Public Library Central location. It’s Vancouver’s biggest library and it has an indoor courtyard with small shops. It has 9 floors and once you get to the top they have a little garden which is nice in the summer to read books or work in!

Laura: Have you been robbed or some one you know?

Karen: I was walking in downtown and someone robbed the girl in front of me. She was a tourist and had all her luggage with her. The robber grabbed her purse and ran past incoming traffic. She was yelling that all her money and passport was in that bag, but no one was fast or brave enough to chase the robber. Also my mom had her wallet stolen in the middle of a grocery store. She was looking at something and left her bag unattended, when she came back her wallet was gone.

Laura: Tell me a love story that happen in a place

Karen: I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a love story unfold before me. I think we’re very practical or boring here haha. I see weddings on the streets sometimes. It looks very pretty when a bride walks down the street in big beautiful white dresses and a fancy party, I’m sure you have that too!

Laura: Do you have a place that is a shelter for you

Karen: Mostly my home! I work from home (mainly my room), where I have my bed and all my supplies. I think I’m an introvert and I feel most comfortable in my own space. I also like to go look at the ocean a lot. Vancouver is on the coast so we get to see the large Pacific Ocean, when you look at it, it feels endless. It’s a very beautiful feeling! Also I love to ride the train. Perhaps boring to some people, but the train here is in the sky (we call it “Skytrain”, perhaps like the Metro) and you can see so much of Vancouver when you travel on the train, you can see the mixture of buildings and nature, it becomes very soothing looking at all the small little things going by!

Laura: Is people kind in Vancouver? Is there people from many places around the world?

Karen: I think people in Vancouver are usually nice. There are some rude people, but mostly a lot of nice people who will talk to you and help you if you ask! There is definitely a lot of diversity, people who come from all over the world. There is a large Asian population here, so there’s a lot of really good Asian food, like sushi (my favourite)! Like Medellin, there are a lot of people who look like they’re in a rush in downtown, but there are also people who like to sit and enjoy the moment as well. People here care a lot about the environment and are very vocal about their beliefs, a lot of vegetarians and vegans.

Laura: What do you love and what do you hate more about Vancouver?

Karen: I love the mix of nature and city life! You can easily access both because the city is surrounded by nature. There’s a lot of nice things to do and you can get to anywhere because everything is near. I also love the food! There is a lot of people from different parts of the world here, and they have established a lot of really good restaurants. I don’t like is how expensive everything is however! Also it rains a lot here, more sun would be nice!

Laura: what is near from the city

Karen: There is the ocean on the west coast, and up north we have a lot of mountains where people go skiing in the winter, and elsewhere there is a lot of forest. We have a lot of nature around the city, sometimes the wildlife wanders into the city, like bears going through people’s trash cans.

Laura: is it a happy place?

Karen: Yes, definitely. I think there is a good balance of everything here, and the city is fairly spread out so we are not all cramped into one space. Let me know if you have any further questions, I’ll find you some photos as well! :)

:)