EAU CLAIRE NEIGHBOURHOOD HUB

EVENT: Coming Home Project with Harpreet M Dayal

Between January 16-29

ABOUT THE COMING HOME PROJECT

From creator Harpreet M Dayal:
[This is] a project close to my heart that has been quietly taking shape since I established my annual event, Love Notes, in 2017. I will collaborate with local artists, organizations, and professionals to offer you a space to gather, connect, and share stories around the most powerful human quality—love. Join me at cSPACE Eau Claire as we explore what it means to be in a place of togetherness and comfort. Let’s foster the feeling of being embraced, seen, loved, and accepted. Together we will explore what it means to come home to oneself and others. – Harpreet M Dayal

For a full list of Coming Home events, follow the link here to Harpreet’s Eventbrite listings.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Harpreet M Dayal (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist, learner, and believer in the power of the arts to connect and heal. Born and raised in London, England she moved to Calgary, Canada in 2015.

With a background in finance, moving to Canada encouraged her to explore her creativity and invest in her artistic practice. Since then, Harpreet has published a children’s book, Wilbert the Worm. In 2017, Harpreet founded Love Notes an event that gathers artists from across disciplines to create a performative love note to Calgary and beyond.

Harpreet works with numerous non-profit, settlement, and arts organizations and collaborates with local businesses in Calgary through her platform. Harpreet sits on the board at Handsome Alice Theatre and is a part of TEDxYYC’s board and co-lead of the curatorial team.

IN HER OWN WORDS

I am an interdisciplinary artist, and believer in the power of the arts to connect and heal. In 2017, I founded Love Notes; an event that gathers artists across disciplines to create a performative love note to Calgary. To build on my work with Love Notes, I believe this is a perfect time, and cSPACE Eau Claire is the ideal location to establish the Coming Home project, which has been quietly taking shape over the pandemic. I hope to offer artists reconnection post-pandemic. To bring artists out from their place of quiet work. To [offer] artists feeling lost a feeling of coming home to themselves and others. By the end of the residency, I hope to help people recognize their untapped strength and resilience and aid in their transformation through the power of artistic expression and healing practices.

CSPACE GETS TO KNOW HARPREET. HERE’S WHAT SHE SAID.

cSPACE: Tell us what’s important to you right now.

HD: Reconnection and belonging have been themes that have been coming up for me post-pandemic. I strongly resonate with cSPACE’s vision for the historic Eau Claire & Bow River Lumber Co. building. I cultivate a sense of belonging. I envision this space to be a feeling of coming home for artists, a space for reconnection and healing practices after a tough few years. I want to draw in the public and artists through…workshops, creativity circles and live performances from local and emerging artists.

cSPACE: What are your hopes for coming out of this residency?

My vision is to foster a sense of belonging, being embraced and seen. A place of comfort, anchored to love and acceptance, a feeling of coming home.

My mission is to create safe spaces for people to gather, create and connect around the most powerful human quality – love. To help people recognize their untapped strength and resilience and aid in their transformation through the power of artistic expression and healing practices.

I hope this residency will… help people recognize their untapped strength and resilience and aid in their transformation through the power of artistic expression and healing practices. I hope to… build on the project and my Love Notes event for the future.

cSPACE: What are your hopes for Calgary as a creative city?

HD: Creativity is an innate part of an artist; it never goes away. It ebbs and flows. How do we continue to do what we love without permission or approval from institutions and society’s definition of success? For me, on my personal journey as an artist, community, collaboration, and change looks like going back to my roots, back to basics, to untapped spaces without structures of the right way of creating. I envision this city to be a place where the Arts are given more importance, a place where artists from all over the world can take up space to showcase their story and talents.

cSPACE: Outside of this residency, what’s important to you right now? What gets you up in the morning?

HD: Long walks, dog watching, baking for my family and friends, and reading a good book brings me joy.

SOCIALS

Instagram: @harpreet.m.dayal
Facebook: harpreetmdayal