Oh, Canada.

The checklist for packing for my most recent residency at Monson Arts was fairly straightforward: brushes, paints, panels, pencils. Check.

But I also included an item that might be considered an anomaly at a creative residency: a table top hockey game.

Not just any table top hockey game: the 1991 deluxe Wayne Gretzky edition. Montréal Canadiens versus Toronto Maple Leafs. Rink shield and referee included.

I placed it in a common area in the studios in the first week. It went untouched. Artists and writers are not well represented amongst hockey fans. But in the final week, there was elevated interest as we shared bottles of wine and began to muse about  how we would miss each other. None of us knew the rules of hockey. And yet, the competition was fierce: heart rates were elevated, curse words volleyed about and that poor table top hockey game almost fell off its table top, so much force was applied to its levers.

What I really wanted was to hear artists and writers talk about the meta-concepts of the table top game: how do the figures move around the space and interact, what are their limitations, their frustrating places of no reach? Honestly, I could not give a single shit about hockey. I am aghast at the amount of money spent on this sport compared to the monetary support of the arts in my country, especially in light of how Hockey Canada’s money has been used to cover up criminal abuses.

I loved playing hockey with other creatives that gave the same amount of shits.

What I  want is to take this deluxe Wayne Gretzky edition game and turn it into a piece of art, preferably a piece of art that explores the  human figure, states of mind, gesture and our ability or inability to change our minds. No small order.

Still searching for my metaphorical hook.

Suggestions warmly received.