For Kitchener-born and raised resident Kez Vicario-Robinson, our walk in Waterloo Park was also a trip down memory lane.
“When I was growing up home-schooled, we would often meet [here],” Vicario-Robinson said. “Just a bunch of ruddy kids playing in [the] stream and trying to make rafts that would float.”
As we walked along the rail line past Silver Lake, Vicario-Robinson remembered early romantic moments under the gazebo by the water, a withs well as family memories of seeing the Christmas lights with their grandparents and cousins.
“It reminds me of driving through town with someone who’s new to the city…and you point to all the different places,” Vicario-Robinson said. “I love doing that.”
We followed Vicario-Robinson’s memories of attending Renaissance Fairs and climbing precarious trees to the west side of the park, walking along snowy paths as the discussion turned to their art practice and multi-disciplinary approach to creativity.
Vicario-Robinson got their artistic start with Out of the Box Productions, a theatre company for homeschooled youth in the region. Their first role was of a witch’s assistant in a production of Excalibur when they were 11.
“I think of myself as a community builder, but I also like to do standup, and I do improv. I do act…and I sang for a real long time, and I do puppetry, and I do drag and I do finer arts.”
“I loved it desperately,” they said.
Their art and activism work is connected to their queer identity, a desire to work with and support youth, and the influence of their family.
“There’s a picture on our fridge…of my mom pregnant with my younger sister giving a speech at the Rotunda in downtown Kitchener where [Take Back the Night] used to convene,” they said. “We went to a lot of demonstrations and marches.”
Vicario-Robinson described their father as an “anarchist punk nurse.”
They credited curiosity for their own activist energies.
“I really love learning,” Vicario-Robinson said. “I love being involved. As an improviser, it’s just in my nature to support!”
Vicario-Robinson’s homeschooling experience growing up shaped them greatly. The homeschooling lessons of trusting yourself and exploration on your terms have stuck with Vicario-Robinson.
“In my first week of public school, I told my mom ‘everyone there is so sad’,” they said. “I was used to being around people who were really amped to learn.”
We continued walking past the bandshell and over to a bench by the water, where Vicario-Robinson pulled out some homemade chocolate crackle cookies to share.
“I really like baking…Especially during the depression months of winter, baking really helps,” they said.
The cold kept us from lingering by the water for too long, and we soon found ourselves on a path obscured from the rest of the city, where the tree branches formed a canopy above our heads.
“I grew up going camping a lot,” they said. “Both my parents…really like being outdoors.”
They talked about exploring the natural world through Young Naturalists at Laurel Creek, as well as presenting their nature collection to earn badges at Girl Guides.
“I miss getting an owl pellet and…a pair of tweezers and just going through it,” they said. “Man, I miss that so!”
Green spaces also presented a way for Vicario-Robinson to improve their mental health.
“When you are depressed…it helps to go outside and be in these spaces,” they said. “Just putting yourself in a different environment helps reconnect neurons in your brain.”
Vicario-Robinson also appreciates the anti-capitalist nature of parks.
“I can just be here,” they said. “It’s beautiful and nice. It’s for everyone.”
We finished our walk back where we started, over the Silver Lake bridge, heading onto the Laurel Trail and past the Perimeter Institute. The terrain was familiar for Vicario-Robinson and connected them to their place in the region and the community.
“As someone who’s not academic, someone who’s never been academic…I feel like being an artist is what I can offer,” they said.
And that offer is one they continue to show up for and make every day.
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