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Marginalia
CAME FROM THE
OBVIOUS PLACE I THINK... BOTH ON THE
MARGINS PHYSICALLY,
GEOGRAPHICALLY, ETC ETC ETC... BUT
FOR ME WHAT HOLDS IN THE TITLE IS
THE FEMALE "SOUND" OF IT... IT SOUNDS
NOT ONLY LIKE GENITALIA, LABIA, BUT
FOR SOME REASON LIKE A MYSTERIOUS
SEXUAL PART OF THE FEMAL BODY THAT
PERHAPS WE HAVE NOT DISCOVERED
YET... VERY WEIRD PERHAPS, BUT I LOVE
THE SOUND OF THE WORD IN MY
MOUTH.(p).
The F word? DO YOU MEAN FUCK? FUN?
FEMINIST? FRENZY? I LIKE ALL,THQS^

WORDS. \ v \ \ \jy W \

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YES - WE TALK ABOUT SEX ALOT.... .
DOESN'T EVERYBODY? PERHAPS THE
DIFFERENCE IN SEXUAL
DIALOGUE/DISCOURSE/GOSSIP
/CONVERSTAION WHEN ONE IS "MIDDLEAGED" IS THAT IT TAKES PLACE WITHIN A
CONTEXT OF HISTORY AND DEEP
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT ONE'S BODY WHICH
IS OFTEN ABSENT IN YOUNGER
WOMEN...OR PERHAPS M. AND I ARE
SIMPLY MORE "REFLECTIVE" AND
INTEROGATIVE THAN MANY OTHER
WOMEN OUR AGE... THOUGH IN MY
EXPERIENCE, MANY WOMEN REACHING
MIDDLE-AGE AND "FREED" FROM
REPRODUCTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES, REENGAGE THEIR SEXUALTY AND SEXUAL
IDENTITY WITH NEW INTEREST, NEW
INSIGHT, AND NEW SENSE OF BOTH
WHAT THEY DESIRE/WANT/NEED
COUPLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE AND

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EXPEREINCE OF HOW TO "GET IT".THE
OTHER SIDE OF THAT OF COURSE, IS
THE NOTION THAT AS WOMEN AGE THEY
BECOME SEXUALLY "INVISIBLE", SO
PERHAPS THIS ALSO FUELS SOME OF
OUR CONVERSATION AROUND THIS
TOPIC... ESPECIALLY SINCE WE ARE
BOTH "IN THE BUSINESS" OF MAKING
MEANING "VISIBLE", YES? I HAVE DONE A
LOT OF WORK AROUND FEMALE
SEXUALITY, ITS CONSTRUCTION,
DIVERSITY AND REPRESENTATION),
SO FRANKLY, I TEND TO TALK ABOUT
SEXUALITY WITH ALL KINDS OF FOLKS....
WITH MARGARET THOUGH, I SUSPECT I
HAVE BEEN GIFTED WITH AN
OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE MY OWN
EXPEREINCE OF SEX, THE EROTIC, ETC...
THAT WAS NOT PRESENT IN OTHER
WORK I MADE AROUND THIS SUBJECT...
SO THIS IS MORE PERSONAL, MORE TIED
TO THE QUESTIONS I AM ASKING MYSELF
AT THIS PARTICULAR HISTORICAL
MOMENT IN MY LIFE AS A SINGLE
WOMAN WHO IS MORE RATHER THAN
LESS "SEXUAL" AS I AGE....SO IN THAT
CONTEXT, THIS CONVERSATION WITH M.
IS DEEPLY IMPORTANT IN WAYS THAT
HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH "ART" OR
WHATEVER PUBLIC PERFORMANCE WE
MIGHT MAKE... LIKE ALL ART PRACTICE,
THE BEST "STUFF" IS THAT WHICH
TRANSFORMS THE ARTIST... THIS
PROJECT HAS BEEN A MAGNIFICENT
"GIFT" TO ME ...AS A WOMAN AND AS AN
ARTIST... WHO KNEW????(p)
Since feb 2004 you have made this
commitment

If ^
There is something almost religious in nature
about it
Any comments/insights? RITUALISTIC,
SPIRITUAL IN A WAY... I WORRY ABOUT
THE WORD RELIGIOUS... BUT I SUSEPCT
YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK SEEING
THOSE ELEMENTS OF RITUAL,
REPETITION, DEEP COMMITTED
PRACTICE... IT HOLDS THIS GROUND OF
CHOICE AND DECISION WHICH REMINDS
ME OF OTHER DEEP REALTIONSHIPS...
LOVE IS AFTER ALL BOTH A FEELING AND
A DECISION... THE DECISION THAT
MARGARET AND I HAVE MADE TO MAKE
WORK TOGETHER SEEMS ALSO LIKE A
DECISION TO MAKE A FREINDSHIP
TOGETHER... TO BUILD SOME HISTORY
TOGETHER.. TO BE PRESENT TO ONE
ANOTHER OVER TIME AND DISTANCE...
AS WITNESS, AS ALLY, AS
"CORRESPONDENT"... VERY POWERFUL
RESPONSIBILITY, AND I AM CONSTANTLY
AMAZED AND STILL CURIOUS ABOUT
WHY THIS FREINDSHIP IN ART SEEMS SO
"EASY" WHEN FREINDSHIP IN LIFE CAN
BE SO DIFFICULT TO SUSTAIN...(P)
\ Is there something highly overrated about
\jDeing physically close to someone?
AB$OLUTEllY.(p)
What kind of physicality are you experiencing
in the process? THE TOUCH OF FABRIC,
THE SEWING AND IRONING AND
"MAKING" OF SQAURES WHICH HAS
BECOME MY WAY OF "SPEAKING" OR
WRITING LETTERS TO HER..THE
REACHING AND GRASPING FORfBEACH
DETRITUS TO "SEND" TO MARGARET
EMBEDDE6 IN A SQUARE, THE

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OCCASSIONAL SOUND OF HER VOICE ON
THE PHONE, OUR RARE MOMENTS OF
REAL PRESENCE WHEN TOGETHER IN
THE SAME PLACE... MONTREAL, ST.
JOHN'S... THE COOKING, THE WALKING
TOGETHER, THE SMALL TOUCHES
EXCHANGED...(P)
Do you also "confess my
„
dependency/addiction/need for this medium- .* ."?

M:THE squares^carre$ are an oasis or
meditation or grounding to me, now. I
often feel overpowered by daily
responsibilities and actions (verbing,
biking, teaching, personal training,
meeting, filing, phoning, scheduling,
shopping and cooking, emailing) and
rush towards a session of square-making
as a place I can let it out or let it in or
just spend precious alone time or find
my emotional centre by articulating
something to pam through the medium
of squares/carres.
what if you both decide to not sew
the squares together! but to throw
them from the highest building
do you think of these
possibilities?
or does the activity itself ground
you in the moment?
I do sometimes wonder what it
would be like to not make squares
but it seems sad and far away —
like death/taxes/dentist
bills/rrsps and all that jazz —
a far away someday kinda thing in

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the future so i ostrich and try
not to worry about.

no pun intended, but it sounds
like you two are having a
telepathic relationship.
•

Pam and I are logging verbs for
ourselves and for each other
and every once in awhile we send
each other
a verb log or one in an email/rant
of what we are doing.
IT is perhaps these verb logs that
helped us see we both share a love
of labor
(ours, each others, and other
women's labour -- see the
embroidery and lace
on the found
serviettes/pillowcases/hankies
that we employ in our
squares/carres).

M: If this was an underground European
art movie, pam & I would be played by
20something actresses; in Canada it
would be directed by Pam Wheeler.
But could the act of introducing 2
middle aged women to an intimate
relationship of art/friendship be as
dramatic/cinematic as a classic love
story?

QjiA C^''

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What do you not know about this piece,
Marginalia? WHERE IT WILL LEAD, WHAT
ELSE I WILL LEARN FROM IT, WHAT THE

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PERFORMANCE WILL "LOOK LIKE", WHO
ELSE MIGHT FIND MEANING OR
RESONANCE FROM OUR PROCESS AND
HOW WE DETERMINE TO RENDER IT
VISIBLE.. ..p.h