An answer…

This, directly from the brochure that seems to be circulating around and a comprehensive website that’s been an ongoing site for updates, from the concept’s inception.

Wreck City: An Epilogue for 809 is a community-based art experiment transforming 9 houses, 3 garages and a greenhouse scheduled for demolition into temporary art, installation and performance spaces.  The biggest project of its type in the history of Calgary (perhaps even all of Canada), eight artist-curators have invited 100 plus artists, musicians and performers to participate.  Artist participants will be free to radically alter the architecture of entire houses, re-shaping the homes using materials from the houses themselves, without need for repair at the end of the project.  This newly formed community of artists intends to produce a neighbourhood of magical and critically-engaging spaces, made possible only by the freedom of working inside houses soon to be destroyed.

Instigated as an epilogue for 809 Gallery, one of Calgary’s influential garage galleries (scheduled for demolition with the rest of the homes), Wreck City is a swan song for the history of the neighbourhood, a playful comment on Calgary’s demolition addiction and an opportunity to cultivate a new community of artists amidst the rubble of an entire block of houses.  Wreck City will be open to the public from April 19, 27, 2012.  It is located between 621 and 823 5th Ave. NW.

Excellent publicity has been coming out about the project…a well written piece by Julia Williams appeared in Avenue Magazine.