From the outside, Tin Can Studio's 5.5-metre-long silver trailer looks like a typical vintage Airstream: sleek and self-contained. But it's home to a surprisingly varied, ever-expanding range of creative and participatory experiences.
Started as an art project that attempted to address Vancouver's shortage of affordable creative spaces, the mobile studio has since travelled to weddings, festivals and community events across the Lower Mainland and beyond, playing host to everything from dye workshops to political protests.
"The idea was to create a mobile platform where artists could transform the space, make art and bring people together in unusual settings in order to seed creativity outside of a more traditional gallery setting'," says Caroline Ballhorn, who launched the studio as part of her final project for the Emily Carr University Grad Show in 2010, along with industrial design student Brodie Kitchen.
Soon after its launch, Jenny Lee Craig came on board, and she and Ballhorn have gradually evolved the project into what it is today: "a creative studio that specializes in interactive projects that engage communities," the pair notes. The Tin Can Studio can "pop up almost anywhere and become a creative hub that invites people in for whatever project might be inside."
They've had an especially busy summer, working on "politically engaged projects, textile workshops and collaborative public art projects."
They began the season by completing a three-session residency with the mini art festival EMMATalks, where they experimented with short interactive projects around art, political engagement and protest.
The studio also worked on a postcard project called Hello Neighbour and a political cross-stitch workshop in Vanier Park. More recently, they helped create a giant friendship bracelet with youth in Surrey, instructed indigo dyeing and screen-printing workshops, and created a giant paint-by-numbers mural with the Vancouver Mural Fest.
Although they do sometimes rent out the studio for private events, they like to work closely with clients "to design an immersive or interactive experience," says Ballhorn. Past examples include hosting a bourbon and blackjack lounge at a wedding, and transforming the trailer into a Tom Selleck-inspired cocktail lounge. They've even operated as a pirate radio station.
“The possibilities are endless," Ballhorn enthuses.
What the duo loves most about their space is its flexibility. They note: "We can pop up almost anywhere and invite people to come in and be creative. People seem to be drawn to our shiny trailer and love to find out what's inside."
This month they'll be working on some private events with "the local movers and shakers at Here/Now Studio in August," says Ballhorn.
They are currently in talks with North Van Arts Council and are headed to Winnipeg in November where they'll be building a giant blanket fort with Art City.
The studio also has some secret events they are "keeping under wraps for now as we move into our fall//winter season, so you'll just have to keep your ears to the ground (or get in touch with us) to find out about those."
Amy Logan is a Vancouver writer, editor and English instructor with an ear for trends in the arts, community and environment. She is a regular contributor to Metro News, and joins the Westender for the summer to explore the artists, creatives, environmentalists and adventurers who make Vancouver tick.
