JUSTIN LANGLOIS

“Where Else Would You Rather Be? explores the role of a question in public as both a marker of time and a site of common and collective inquiry.

Over the lifetime of the work, the presentation of a question in a public space allows an idea to be continually tested against time and by our actions and inactions. The project concept aims to distill the idea of a question into a singular phrase that can capture the rich complexities of a changing neighbourhood and a community that will continue to evolve over time.

The question, Where Else Would You Rather Be? will be installed at the entrance to meet the undoubtedly growing pedestrian foot traffic at the corner of Eastern Ave and 16th Street. It will feature the text in a large format, with each word underlined. The text will be fabricated in an LED-based product to allow for low-voltage installation and for ease of maintenance.

The sign itself will also have a custom-programmed controller to allow the underline to continually shift from word to word over the course of the day. This will create the effect of different emphases (and arguably, different questions) for passersby.

The project also entangles itself with the process of development and the role of art in inviting new ways to see and imagine a sense of place. In its installed location, the text can act as a greeting welcoming residents home, or as a kind of personal check-in for passersby, or as an ambitious provocation for any member of the public, encouraging consideration of place, longing, and a sense of belonging.”

—Justin Langlois, 2021

Justin Langlois is an artist, writer, and educator. His practice explores public art, social engagement, and creative pedagogy through text-based works, long-term participatory projects, and public installations. His work has been presented at the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Toronto), Conflux New York, Nuit Blanche (Toronto), Creative Time Summit (Venice Biennale), Open Engagement (Pittsburgh), CAFKA (Kitchener), Art Souterrain (Montreal), Art Moves (Poland), Manif D’art Biennial (Quebec City), along with galleries and artist-run centres across Canada. His writing has been published in C Magazine, Canadian Art, the Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Open Engagement, Esse, Curb Magazine, Scapegoat, and books including Artistic Approaches to Cultural Mapping (Routledge) and The Everyday Practice of Public Art (Routledge). He is an Associate Professor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and lives and works as an uninvited guest on unceded Coast Salish Territory in Vancouver, Canada.