The ultra-talented Carin Makuz has created upholSTORIES—an exhibition of photographs and stories showing now until May 14 in Gallery A of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa. upholSTORIES is an exhibition of abandoned couches and almost abandoned stories. Carin asks: What do we throw out, and why? More importantly, what part of ourselves is lost or kept in the process?

Carin Makuz is an observer and a questioner, as writers tend to be. On her daily walks, she started noticing and taking pictures of tossed-out couches on boulevards and driveways. Eventually, the photographs accumulated to the point that Carin realized she needed to do something with them. Being a master storyteller, that something was upholSTORIES.

upholSTORIES exhibit, photo by Carin Macuz

Carin Makuz’s writing has been published in Geist, Room, and numerous other places. She is the creator and curator of The Litter I See Project, a website that supports literacy while addressing the problem of litter by engaging writers across Canada to respond to pictures of litter with poetry, prose, stream of consciousness, and other literary forms.

I discovered Carin’s blog, matilda magtree, when I was pondering whether to start my own blog three years ago. Since then I have enjoyed a delightful online conversation with her that often involves one of us flinging yeast, such that we’ve decided if we ever start a band, we’re going to call it Yeast Meets West. I’ll play harmonica and Carin will play the accordion.

If you’re in the Oshawa area in the next week, don’t miss upholSTORIES.