Common Threads Entrance Slip

Out of all the cities in Lower Mainland, Vancouver, especially the UBC campus, definitely feels like a very walkable cities. But as we go further out, to places such as White Rock or even the suburbs in the US, most of the infrastructural is built for cars. In White Rock, we have around 4 bus lines, while most of our commercial buildings are reserved for massive parking lots. Though convenient, it is worth pondering the fact that these cities are more so built for consumption than production. We have all accepted that that how society is run, but we forget the way that we want to live our lives. This leads me to the biggest stop of this article, that we have outsourced our survival to other people. We have grown reliant, and perhaps entitled, to have other people take care of us for us. We are losing what made us survive millions of years by giving this problem to other people, so I love the idea of backsourcing items that we need. I have made small crafts out of recyclable materials instead of buying what I needed, and it’s always been more satisfying. Saving the environment and other grand ambitions shouldn’t be the reason why we make other own products, it should come from a sense of self-fulfillment.

While making the seven-braid, it almost felt nostalgic. Despite my financial support from my parents, I have always found joy in frugality. If I don’t need it, then I don’t want it. So in terms of practicality, I have made many small crafts. Currently, I am working on making a cable management bin out of an unused shoebox, so I don’t have to worry about them tangling up anymore. The feeling of making something artistic yet practical brings joy to me since not only am I saving money, it’s also just very fun. There are plenty of old shirts I would like to make into a scarf or a tote bag, and there are plenty of possible things to make using traditional knowledge. It’s important to never forget what we have made since the beginning, because that is what makes us human, not the big metal boxes that we drive around.