PARTNERSHIP: Friends of the Grove

It took six days of hard work by artist Don Li-Leger and Friends of The Grove, to finish the Encyclopedia House. Sixty-four square foot “house” was made out of recycled encyclopedias and books donated by the community.

Don Li-Leger has a unique way of seeing people gather as a community.We discussed interesting set of episodes one after the other. One memorable thought over a cup of tea was just that: why to offer a cup of tea? Don said Meera, "our need and liking of food brings us together". He said offering a cup of tea invites a conversation and conversation supports "culture of curiousity, interest and discourse about local issues".

Tea party at the Encyclopedia House, in past month invited many community members to talk about larger issues such as crime, homelessness, climate change, neighbourhood development and changing sources of knowledge.

For dear friend David Dalley this art installation is about imagination: “We have easy access to knowledge, but we sometimes have difficulty acting on that knowledge. I think that Imagination can help us unlock knowledge and transform it into action. I am hoping that this art installation will inspire us, as a community, to be imaginative as we look at what we know and consider what to do about it.”

Similarly more simple ways of celebrating community might just be what we have need to add meaning to day to day life and make our surrounding safe