Meet Becky
How a birthday lunch, a hidden bouquet, and a shared love of surprise became a story about friendship
Three and a half years ago, my husband and I moved to a new province. Nova Scotia. We moved from a condo in the middle of Toronto to a century-old farmhouse near a teeny tiny town by the ocean. The culture shock of this move caught us both off guard.
Still, bit by bit, we adapted because that’s what humans do. And I discovered the number one cure for culture shock. Friends.
Here’s how I met Becky, the heroine of the latest fish in my upcycled Nespresso capsule and bottle installation. If you’re new here, or need a reminder, I’m currently turning my friends into fish for an art installation called Thirsty for Connection.
It turns out three of my new Nova Scotia friends all happen to have their birthdays in September. I decided to have one big birthday lunch for Diane, Joyce and Doris. This is my definition of efficiency. 🙂
Becky was one of the guests invited to my home to honour these three beautiful women.
I decorated the dining room with all of the usual fun things. Banners, balloons, and streamers. And in the centre of the table, a bouquet of flowers I made from Nespresso capsules and wire spirals. At the time, I was still very new to working with the capsules as an art medium. I knew I loved the flowers, but I had no idea if anyone else would.
I made a promise to myself. If anyone commented positively on the bouquet, I would confess that I made them and invite each woman to choose her favourite as a birthday gift. If it went unnoticed, I would say nothing.
Let’s just call it managing risk. I’ve learned to protect the early steps of birthing something new.
The birthday gals were very appreciative of the celebration, and someone did say something nice about the bouquet. I confessed. They each chose a metal flower to take home, and I felt that mix of relief and excitement that comes with sharing something new for the first time.
So how does Becky fit into this story?
Well, it turns out I wasn’t the only one planning something that day and waiting for the right moment to reveal it. Becky had something up her sleeve too, and I had no idea.
At the end of the meal, she slipped out of the dining room and returned a few minutes later carrying a bag of shooter glasses and a bottle of Limoncello from a local distillery called Raging Crow.
It was such a brilliant move by Becky. We all laughed, feeling like teenagers again with someone sneaking booze into the party. And in that moment, I knew I had found a kindred spirit in Becky, even though I didn’t know her very well at that point.
There’s a subgroup of us humans who get our kicks from what marketers call “surprise and delight.” The kind of surprise meant to lift people up, brighten a moment, and add a little playfulness.
Becky and I are clearly in that group.
I keep a pipeline of surprises in my life at all times. I’m starting to think that “surprise and delight” might actually work this way: my friends get the surprise, and I get the delight. I absolutely love it.
And watching Becky pull that trick out of her hat, the delight on her face said everything.
About the fish named Becky
I wanted to capture that birthday celebration in this piece. I started with the bottle from Raging Crow. Becky had gifted the bottle of Limoncello to me and I have kept the bottle since last September. I love its shape. The deconstructed Nespresso capsules on the top fin and body are shaped to echo the decorative frills from the birthday decorations and the waves of icing on the cupcakes. The birthday streamers are conveyed through the dangling bits along the bottom of the fish.
The three wire spirals that make up the fish’s tail represent the three birthday women and the flowers they each took home, which also had wire spirals. At the base of the fish tail are the outer rims of the capsules, worked into spiralling shapes that remind me of birthday candles.
When I look at this fish, I see new friends. I see the importance of community and celebration. Mostly, I see the people who love to create special moments for others, like Becky.
If you’d like to read about other friends I have turned into fish for my Thirsty for Connection art installation, I’ve linked them below.
To see the other ways I have turned friends into fish for my Thirsty for Connection art installation, read these stories:
