Painting the Trestle: Adolescent Negotiation of Space and Place in Post-Industrial Cape Breton
Channel: Ian Brodie
Date: 2011-10-25

This presentation concerns the ongoing practice of painting a specific train-trestle bridge in industrial Cape Breton as a means of local adolescent self-expression, institutional affiliation, and memorialization. As a highly visible contested space in a largely post-industrial suburban setting with a renewed interest in heritage as both industry and tourist attraction, the practice of bridge painting has come under intense criticism and scrutiny by the public and municipal government: in the light of the most recent crackdown, the practice has been reconfigured as a site primarily for memorialization.

Originally prepared for the Annual Meeting of the American Folklore Society, Bloomington, Indiana, October 2011

Thanks to Chris Jones for production.

For a follow-up presentation, go to http://youtu.be/Le-ttXiA9Gw