VEND (Montreal Mural Fest Submission 2023)
Artistic Statement
I am a product of the globalized world and it is central to my life, ranging from my interpersonal relationships, my education, my parents, my family, my professional journey and, consequently, my art. My work, whether that be graphic design, clothing design, architecture, photography or video, is a way for me to dialogue with the World: what’s going on, phenomenons that affect us all, telling stories, sharing stories, contributing to organizations and people. I live at the intersection of art, design, visual communication, and international development, within the global context, and the global community. I create to critique, to empower, and to problem-solve. But sometimes, just to create. No politics, no message. (112 words)
Project Intention
Yellow, black, white, red, brown. Old, young, middle-aged. Rich, poor, middle-class, upper-class, bourgeoisie, proletariat. Developed, less-developed, least-developed. Local, tourist, foreigner, immigrant. Hot, temperate, cold, tropical. North, south, east, west.
It seems as the World gets smaller, we become more different. As we are brought closer, our differences become more obvious. On an economic level, this is true. On a demographic level, on the political spectrum, or in the immigration office, this is true. We come from different places, from different people, from different origins, from different educations, from different bank accounts. But are the lives we live really that different? Is the banality I live really that different from yours? Are my worries your worries? My pastimes yours? The same common system shared? What does one day here look like there, and what does peeking into our furthest most neighbors window tell us about the human condition. I don’t know.
We are each living our lives in our little corner. And yet, with every street we cross, every turn we take, who knows what impact we have on the fabric of the World, on our lives, and the lives of others?
Part message in a bottle, part anonymous letter, part secret note, part vending machine, this project brings together eight different days from eight different people across the globe. They were each given the same instructions: to recount what they did in the span of a day, what they thought, and what they felt, in a page or less. Where they went with that was up to them. Them contributors include friends and friends of friends, some new, some old, some I know well and some I don’t. Some write better than the next, some were uncomfortable with the project, and some responded with ease.
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They will be walking home from work, in a city they know all too well, on a day they’ve done many times before. They will take a left turn, then another left, and then a right. But tonight, for whatever reason, they continue straight one block further. Out of the corner of their eye, they catch a glimpse of a vending machine; a familiar sight. And yet, this one is different. They approach. They are shy. Out comes their finger. In goes the button. Out comes a story. Every step of their life leading to this place in time, to listen to this voice brought from a far away place. (406 words)
The stories were collected from friends or friends of friends and appear, for the most part as, they were sent to me. They will be printed anonymously.
Nigeria:
Woke up this morning, my girl slept over and would be leaving for her place. She had already packed her things and was ready to move before she woke me up. Babe I'm ready to go she said. I was a little bit still sleepy so I had to gain full consciousness before replying her. By now, I knew she expected me to hand her some money for her transport back home but I don't have. The thought of that made me a little down but I still proceeded to ask her "you have money on you"? Yes she said. The I reluctantly got a jacket to put on then we head out. I bid her goodbye as she board a motorcycle to the bus stop where she would get a bus to her place. Walking back to my room I thought of how my day would go and how I was going to eat and get to church which I already did promise my sister to attend. Finally got to my room fell back on the bed then slept back. Church closes by 1 because today is Thanksgiving service of the year and as I have said, my elder sister already personally invited me to make sure I don't forget to attend. With no money on me, I was lying down but not sleeping as I was feeling sober. Stood up by 9 am knowing I was already late as it would take me about two hours to get to church due to traffic and conveying of passengers by the bus driver. I logged in WhatsApp where I saw a text from a female colleague of mine back in university. On seeing the text I asked her to lend me one thousand naira to be returned on Tuesday. She joked around but ended up sending me the money. By now it was about 9:30 I jetted outside to have my bath as I lived in a face me I face you apartment where we share same toilet. I took my bathing case with my toothbrush outside where I met my neighbor sarcastically asking me if I was going to church and what church I attended. I was angry for about two seconds then I replied saying I'm not going I'm going somewhere else. Unknown to me he was going to use the bathroom too. Immediately I finished brushing my teeth, I head back to my room so as to wait till he's done. He was taking so much time till past 10 then I decided to go to church without having my bath. Annoyed he did that deliberately, I overlooked it and just faced my day. I stopped at the ATM to withdraw the one thousand that was just sent to me then I stopped a motorcycle to take me to where I will take a bus to the next bus stop. He didn't have change so he told me to go with the money. Then I got a bus but waiting at the Bus stop to fill the bus was time consuming and the scorching sun was not favourable. My well tucked in shirt was beginning to get wet due to the heat emitting from my body.
We finally hit the road and everything was going well until we came across a weird incident. A man suddenly went up in the sky and slam on the floor without being hit by a car but waves of wind blowing around him after he hit the floor, he looked dead to us tho we didn't wait but I could see some private cars waiting and people rushing to the scene. The chat of the incident filled the bus and everyone was scared for a moment as they were all wondering what could have happened to him. My own problems were ringing in my head, another man is dying on the spot. A lot to digest but I composed and alighted at my bus stop then trekked about 5 minutes to the bust stop where I will board the final tricycle to the church. I got to church, lucky to see an usher lead me to a sit closer to the podium as some people had already left for their houses before the church service was over so there were vacant seats. Alot was going on and it took a while to know what was going on at that moment In church. I initiated a conversation with my neighbor who was sitting next to me to ask what was going on and he said each province are being called one by one I think there are about 13 province for the church altogether, he was a musician who was all about breaking out looking towards his childhood friend who is now a known musician. We discussed and he was intrigued because I gave him my two cents and he thinks I had the keys to his problem until I told him I was also a musician and he was surprised then he happen not to have any money for offering. The money left with my by now was 350 naira, I gave him fifty naira then held 100 naira for my own offering. So it went on and on until it was the turn for those who doesn't have any province which I happen to fall under. I was about going when a man sitting by my left hand side told me to help him drop his thanksgiving offering which sounded really strange to me. I declined and proceeded to the alter where everyone marched towards to hand in the offering. I had already missed the sermon and all other ministration. The pastor prayed farewell prayer for everyone and it was a wrap. The church ended some minutes to 2 pm.
Then i waited for my sister because I know she's a worker at the churchH and would be busy immediately after service but she was my only hope of going back home as 200 naira wouldn't take me anywhere then I saw my younger sister which I didn't know was actually present in church with her daughter. I was surprised and held the baby who won't stop laughing. I was happy as we the kids of the family happen to be together after a long time, my sister gave me 1000 naira for my transport back home. I thought outside when waiting to board my first bus of using the opportunity to visit a close friend. I head to the pack, took a bus of 100 naira which was about 8 minutes jouney. On alighting, I crossed the road to the other side so as to board the bus that leads to the next bus stop enroute my friends place. Dipping my hand in my pocket to pick the money my sister had just given me and it was nowhere to be found. I was dumbfounded! My head rang really loud only me could hear the noise. I had to call my friend to make him aware of the situation as I didn't have anyone to talk to about what was going on at the moment. How will I go back home even if I haven't eaten I don't like being stranded. I felt sick instantly but still headed for my friends.
United States of America:
I woke up next to my girlfriend. The lighting in her room told me it would be a cloudy day, then a cloudy week. I had dreams of thirst. When I took a sip of water, I realized it was my subconscious trying to tell me I was dehydrated. Another night of drinking would explain it. I have to stop partying. It’s comforting when dreams can be easily explained. I didn’t sleep very well, actually I did but woke up too early for comfort, and wasn’t able to re-find my slumber. I hate that, and it’s been happening a lot.
After worrying about the future, and our relationship, I reminded myself to “be present now”, and decided to see an exhibit at Lincoln Center that my mom recommended. She always has the best recommendations, but I’ll never let her know it. Well, maybe I will. I’m getting old. My phone was on low battery. I tried to charge it but the wire was faulty. My girlfriend has a laissez faire attitude when it comes to things like this, as if everything will just work itself out. Somehow, it seems it has. For now. Her roommates were scurrying. Feeling like an intruder in their house, I finished getting dressed, prepared myself to face them, and opened the door. Luckily I had brushed my teeth before, which allowed me to make a quick exit. They’re nice, I just can’t help but feel awkward seeing acquaintances so soon after waking up.
I took a long C train ride from Brooklyn to Lincoln Center. Lots of stops, lots of faces. I caught my reflection in the window. The exhibition wasn’t much more than a few foam core posters and vinyl murals. Typical government work. It was about New York City and it’s newly updated street brand book. Very interesting, right down my alley. My mom has the best recommendations. After looking at the different types of streetlights city agencies could choose from, I found a nearby corner diner. “Exactly what a diner should be” is what Google maps said. Eggs Benedict or cheeseburger and fries was the question. After weighing the health benefits of each one (my stomach had been acting weird of late), I chose the California burger. I thought of my friend who would always eat all the fries first, then proceed to handle the burger. When asked why, he said “The burger is the award for eating the fries.” You can learn a lot about a person, life, the universe, through thought processes like these. I love my friend, even after all he’s put me through.
There were a lot of middle aged and old people eating eggs and bacon alone, and a seemingly equal amount of Latino servers. And an Indian (Pakistani?) cashier. I asked if I could charge my phone. By the third person, I was able to. I studied the design of the four sugar packets offered on the table: Dominos, Sweet n’ Low, Splenda and Equal, one I’d never heard of. My favorite was Domino’s, but Sweet n Low’s was clever. The burger came, and the fries. Thin but not too thin with good length and a pale yellow color, my favorite. I had seen them when I walked in. I ate and thought. When I peeked out the big diner window, I knew exactly where I was. As if out of a New York holiday movie. I drank three full glasses of water, paid and said my goodbyes. My phone didn’t charge, I guess something with the cable again. Exactly what a diner should be.
Back to Brooklyn. I chose the D train. I wanted to go over the bridge and be sad. I listened to a new song I had heard at last nights party on repeat. It was good, and I loved the simple indulgence of looping it over and over again. The train car was empty except for me and an Asian woman with three bags out of her control. I chose the seat best for looking out of the window (I had to switch sides to get a better view of the city from the bridge). I looked out: grey, sad, home. I looked at myself. A cliché. I thought about moments of my life. Someone was doing acrobatics between the subway cars. “You can’t make this shit up”, the conductor said.
I made it home. 2:36 pm. I plugged my phone in. My cable worked.
France (England):
I woke up past my alarm. It's cold and I'm tired. There have been better last days.
I hope I don't miss my train, they're striking today. My girlfriend is leaving before me today
I'll see her next in 3 months. The weather has looked better. She's on her way to the airport and me to the train station. I'll get to my destination before her.
Such a convenient system passed security within 15 minutes. I'm hungry, it costs 4 pounds to eat in. I didn't pay but that didn't stop me from sitting. Everyone seems to be going back for the holidays, who knew so many french people lived in London.
2 hours of idling later and I'm at Gars Du Nord, waiting for a taxi. It seems like a long line, I wonder if it's worth the wait. I have too much stuff to find another solution. Carried my whole life in suitcases and bags for the past year I have felt like a snail.
Other passengers are watching Argentina - Croatia on their phones. It seems Messi scored.
I thought it would've been cool and better for us if the finals presented France - Croatia just like in 2018, but we have to beat Morocco first. Argentina scored again, they're likely to win this.
Finally in the taxi, I don't want to make any type of conversation. Luckily we don't.
30 mins later I found my hotel near aquaboulevard in the 15th. I ask somebody outside for a cigarette, it doesn't taste good. I'm still addicted to nicotine.
Check in was seamless. I need a good rest. I have apartment visits tomorrow and a game. I hope I get to settle in Paris nicely.
Cuba:
On Tuesday, December 13, the first thing I did when I woke up was to congratulate my neighbor's policeman on the day of 1312 ACAB. Well, like every morning, I went out to have coffee at Mr. Orelvis, who is the best coffee for me in Trindad, well, nothing after the coffee started my day like every day of Cubans looking for what to take to the fridge to have dinner luckily for me I also have my little baby Tyrion who gives me strength and joy every day of my life and we go out to leisure where they put new games for the children after that we had lunch I took him with his grandparents and I continued my routine of looking for what to eat luckily I found cheap salad since meat is impossible to find cheap I got home and started to fill the tanks of water that did not have a drop of water to shower or cook in short my day 1312 was quite problematic luckily the neighbor policeman does not know what ACAB means
my spirit of the day is to survive brother try to arrive with a full stomach at the end of the day for when I rest my head on the pillow my stomach is full that is, day after day the most important thing in our Cuban day is to find what to take to the mouth
South Korea:
I woke up a little late today.
I couldn't sleep easily because I couldn't get out of my head about how to survive next year.
Of course, there were complicated parts in my head, but it seems that I couldn't sleep even more because I had to finish the service introduction by today.
When I open my eyes, it's 11:00 in the morning, I smoke my favorite morning cigarette and come in to wash up, but the boiler doesn't work. It's gotten really cold lately
The boiler broke down due to the weather, so I was a little annoyed from the morning. Still, I don't have any appointments to meet people today, so I decided to go to the office and take a shower.
went to the office
Was it because it didn't come out since last Friday? When I arrived at the office, I felt like I hadn't come in a very long time.
Scattered books and a messy desk. Every day when I come to the office, I have to clean, I have to clean, but I put it off until tomorrow on the excuse of being busy. I must do it tomorrow
It's something I feel every day, but there are so many things to do, but it's so hard to focus on one place because I have to see this and that. Sometimes
I think I have ADHD myself. After drinking a cup of coffee and concentrating again, time flew by again. It must have been around 6:00
It didn't go well. I left work early. I can concentrate better when I go to a cafe for the rest of my work.
When I got home and thought about it, I remembered that the boiler was broken. I still contacted the landlord at the office, but is everything okay?
When I checked, it was just in case. Still, the boiler engineer is coming tomorrow, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow.
Netherlands:
my wife was in charge of organizing the trip... like everyone else... she is an expert in finding good deals online... so it's been about 3 months since we already had it "square"... everything is like that here... no spontaneity... everything planned... and 3 months already seems rushed...by the way, that morning I got up to go to the bathroom around 4 am and a car passed down the street with music so loud that it seemed like it was right next to me. from the window… it reminded me so much of Cuba that, far from bothering me, the high decibels from her reggaeton, she gave me a feeling of “coming home”… oh and in the restaurant they always have music, no matter what time of day it is…. Very low in the morning but in the evening, they turn up the volume... a lot of reggaeton and bachata... and I am enjoying all that... whoever knows me from Cuba will be speechless because there I was reluctant to all that "melody"... but nostalgia sucks, it punches you twice in the chest and you find yourself one day, singing at the top of your voice, the songs that used to irritate you...
We arrived in Rotterdam around 3 pm, it was a bit cloudy and with a fine drizzle, if I had just arrived from Cuba, I would be a bit upset because of the bad weather… but in Holland that's the weather… you must go out with boots and appropriate clothing for a harsh climate... it doesn't matter if it's sunny, that can change suddenly... you get used to it... now I remember the people in Cuba who stop under a roof as soon as a few drops fall from the sky, yes here you adopt that behavior, you cannot go anywhere.
United Arab Emirates:
I wake up once at 6am, at that time I facetime my girlfriend who’s in New York and say goodnight and then sleep on until 9am. I always get out on the right side of bed, weird superstition thing that I just have been doing for a while… want to start the day right. Get it.
I stretch for about 10 minutes and brush my teeth and freshen up etc. I put some lemon in a liter bottle of Evian, change into gym clothes and drive to my parents apartment. It’s about 5 minutes away. I roll the windows down on this short drive to get some fresh air.
Once I’m there I’m greeted by the valet, they struggle to open my Frunk (front trunk) everyday but its become a bit of a joke now so I don’t mind. Once at my parents place my housekeeper gives me a celery, ginger, mint and lemon juice. I eat half an oaty protein bar that I have imported from London, since good vegan protein options aren’t readily available in Dubai or are just more expensive than gold. I have half a banana and an ‘Nepresso’ with almond milk. Then I head to gym. It’s always the same people in the gym, anytime I go. There is one lady in her 50’s who is there killing it everyday and one elderly man who is like 80, literally, training to fight death. It’s incredible.
After gym my housekeeper is prepared with my protein shake upon my return and I drink it whilst sittings on the massage chair. Then I order lunch to my apartment, drive over and eat it. It’s generally half a chicken or a green juice and a chicken wrap, or chicken salad. Then I shower and head to work.
I’m in the office from about 1pm/2pm, unless I had a very late night of work or was up watching football or talking to my girl. When I get it I make another nespresso, this time without almond milk. I’m lactose intolerant, its an ongoing joke. So I’m emphasizing it. And I get to work some family business and investments etc. and emails and catch ups from the day before, stuff I missed when I was asleep. Then at around 4pm/5pm. My business partner in New York wakes up so we get to work and I stay in office until about 7pm or 8pm. Often the one to turn the lights off but my sisters got a company too and her team hustles hard for her, I feel ashamed when I leave office before them and they have been in since 9am.
After work I head home to hang out with my family and discuss more family office related work and have some dinner. They have eaten by the time I get home, but I order my own food anyway. Chicken again. On occasion we book the spa and use the hot tub, steam and sauna together and conduct our family meetings whilst recovering and relaxing. We are a very busy and motivated family, multi-tasking is a must. On other occasions, I would have gone to TopGolf or will go play padel or go on a walk.
I finally head home and I get on a call with my business partner again or work on some more emails etc. At this time I may have some sports on or tv just to wind down. Before I sleep I stretch again, listen to podcast, and check my emails one last time or have one last call with my business partner. Its 2/3am. So my girlfriend is also finishing her work, so I call her before I go to sleep to say goodnight.
Jordan:
My morning started off very calm and relaxed, which is new to me considering I had 2 papers to submit for my master's degree within a few hours of waking up. All they needed was some revision and a few touch-ups. The old version of myself would have panicked and felt intense fear and stress. But I am liking this new version of myself, nothing shakes me. I’m really enjoying my slow mornings. I woke up and stayed in bed for 30 minutes before actually getting up and taking my morning thyroid meds. I journaled 3 pages and read 10 pages of Atomic Habits - a great book by the way. This is the morning routine that keeps me sane and I think it's working.
My year started off with Covid (literally woke up January 1st with covid), followed by writing final papers, which meant I haven’t seen my family and grandparents in almost 2 weeks (which is a LONG time for me). After I revised and submitted my papers, I got ready for my day. I knew I wanted to be super active today because I’ve been fermenting in my room for 2 weeks, so I put on my exercise clothes and headed to my grandmother's house. While I was getting ready, I received a text from my younger sister saying that one of our friend's father passed away, turns out the man was also friends with my dad. Hearing news like this really grounds me.
When I got to my grandparent's house I was super excited to see them I just ran inside and hugged everyone. Seeing my grandparent's age, even though I had only seen them a few weeks ago, breaks my heart. I always feel super grateful that I still have them with me. My grandmother's sister is visiting Jordan from Lebanon, she’s so small and skinny and tiny and wrinkly but her energy is just so high and so pure. It's impossible not to smile when I’m around her. My grandfather on the other hand can’t see or hear but still makes it a point to put on his best suit and present himself in a very proper manner around us. I could only spend an hour at my grandparent's house because I felt the urge to move my legs and exert so much energy, so I headed to the gym. All I did was walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes because my cousins texted me suggesting we all go play paddle. Ultimate vibes.
My cousins aren’t my age, they’re in their 50’s, married with kids. I’m 26 for reference. We all headed to the paddle courts outside. It was pretty cold, around 10 degrees Celsius, but laughing at each other suck at the game kept us distracted from the weather. It was my first time playing paddle and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Afterward, we planned to all go to my cousin's house and have steaks for dinner. So we passed by the supermarket and bought a few things. I thought this would be a good time to show my Instagram followers the real ingredients in salt. I’ve been wanting to record this video showing different salt brands and the additives they put in regular table salt. I recorded the video and realized that maybe a Friday night is not the best time to post this. So I saved the video and decided to post it on a rainy day. I headed back to my cousin's house and helped her slice the fillet, cook, and tossed the salad. Her kids, around 12 years old, were making their famous guacamole.
We all sat down and ate together and honestly, it was the best end to my day. My older cousin showed me around the new apartment she bought, which was one floor above hers (the one we were eating dinner in), and that made me really happy for her. I start my first proper full-time job at a big company on Sunday which is only 2 days away, and I start my new semester at university in 3 days. Which means I won’t always have the time for days like this. Days to wake up and just sit in bed, see my family members at random times, work out whenever I want, go play paddle with my cousins and cook dinner. I’ve realized in my 20s that everything is fleeting, because things are just changing so fast, people come and people go. So I’m just appreciating every day that I’m experiencing and trying to make the most out of my time, laugh as much as I can, and hug people as much as I can, try my best at school. Trying to make every day count.