Year Long Exhibition of Digital Public Art

Image: LAIWAN, video still of Barnacle City (2016), Photo: courtesy of the artist.

The City of Vancouver Public Art Program is pleased to announce the screening of twelve videos commissioned for the outdoor screens at the NE corner of Robson and Granville Streets.

The twelve videos were commissioned as part of our Platforms series in 2011, 2014 and 2016. A different video will screen every month from February 17 until the end of 2020, or until the upgrade and replacement of the Robson and Granville video screens occurs. Information on the artists and artworks, exhibition timeline and background information on the Platforms series can be found below.

EXHIBITION TIMELINE

• Her Story by Krista Belle Stewart will screen from February 17 – March 15, 2020
• Girl in the City by Diyan Achjadi will screen from March 16 – April 12, 2020
• Barnacle City by LAIWAN will screen from April 13 – May 10, 2020
• (A Sense of Place) by Emilie Crewe will screen from May 11 – June 7, 2020
• RIPPLES by Nicolas Sassoon will screen from June 8 – July 5, 2020
• The Place Between Us by Jason Nielsen will screen from July 6 – August 2, 2020
• Tidal Pool by Curtis Grahauer will screen from August 3 – 30, 2020
• Harbeck Homage by Lisa g. Nielsen will screen from August 31 – September 27, 2020
• Canoe by Donna Szoke will screen from September 28 – October 25, 2020
• Wood Work by Carol Sawyer will screen from October 26 – November 15, 2020
• Reconciliation by Jeremy Borsos will screen from November 16 – December 6, 2020
• Making Circles: The Chilkat Dancing Blanket by Emilie Crewe will screen from December 7 – 27, 2020

ABOUT THE PLATFORMS SERIES

2016 Platforms Series – Coastal City: Six video works were commissioned as part of the Coastal City series. Artists were given the opportunity to explore the border between land and sea, the designation of  boundaries and life in a region near the shore, the changing land and ocean-scape and the circumstances that make coastal cities such as Vancouver unique.

(A Sense of Place) by Emilie Crewe (one segment, 3:00 minutes total) – Crewe’s video seeks to characterize the “personality” of Vancouver by bringing to light the contrasting natural and man-made elements of our city. In response to use of the city as a stand in for other cities in films and Gertrude Stein’s idea that “There is no there there,” Crewe’s video attempts to locate Vancouver in the ebb and flow of micro and macro images of this place.

Barnacle City by LAIWAN (one segment, 1:40 minutes total) – Through oceanic metaphors organic and alive, juxtaposed with current scenes and structures of Vancouver’s cityscape, Barnacle City visually experiments with the imaginative possibilities of a future city, or a city that once had been.

Harbeck Homage by Lisa g. Nielsen  (one segment, 2:50 minutes total) – The artist uses the point of view from a bicycle to create a time-lapse super 8 film that documents the urban coastline of the Downtown Eastside to Spanish Banks.

RIPPLES by Nicolas Sassoon (three segments, 0:45  minutes each) – Nicolas Sassoon’s video work creates contemplative and projective intermissions on the LED screens by using a series of digital animations evocative of the landscape of British Columbia.

The Place Between Us by Jason Nielsen (two segments, 2:00 minutes each) – This video explores Vancouver’s social isolation and our community’s response to it. The result is a compelling portrait of the boundary between individuals; And like the line between land and sea, these boundaries are constantly changing.

Tidal Pool by Curtis Grahauer (two segments, 2:00 minutes each) – This video represents Vancouver as an articulation point between natural adaptation and global industry with a focus on New Brighton Park.

2014 Platforms Series – Art marking Vancouver’s Year of Reconciliation: Three video works were commissioned as part of this award-winning series to honour and celebrate the City’s Year of Reconciliation. This series was recognized by the American of the Arts as one of the outstanding projects created in 2014.

Her Story by Krista Belle Stewart (one segment, 2:50 minutes total) – This work draws on the original footage from the CBC documentary about the artist’s mother, Seraphine: Her Own Story (1967). It touches on the young woman’s journey from residential school to UBC and the city.

Making Circles: The Chilkat Dancing Blanket by Emilie Crewe – (one segment, 3:00 minutes total) – A film documenting the restoration/conservation, mending & repairing of First Nations artwork and historical objects at the U’mista Cultural Centre in Alert Bay.

Reconciliation by Jeremy Borsos (one segment, 1:20 minutes total) – The contemplative video dwells on a hand-written excerpt from the official apology to the Aboriginal Peoples of Canada for the residential schools.

2011 Platforms Series – Celebrate Vancouver 125: Three video works were commissioned to celebrate the City’s 125^th anniversary year. This Platforms series focused on opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy unique images, objects and perspectives on Vancouver and British Columbia for the City’s anniversary year.

Canoe by Donna Szoke (one segment, 2:12 minutes total) – At its centre is a digitally altered image – the silhouette of a canoeist and the moving canoe. These are seamlessly replaced with the background image of the moving water and sky, so that the canoeist and the canoe are seen as a fluid visual extension of the moving water and sky. The outline of the motion itself remains visible. The two-minute animation was created by digitally redrawing 1800 frames.

Girl in the City by Diyan Achjadi (four segments, 0:30 minutes each) – In this work, an animated avatar, “Girl”, encounters the landmarks of Vancouver and interacts with them. As she picks them up, they become a miniature collection of objects. After landing in Vancouver, Girl visits the Harbour Centre Tower, the Gastown Steam Clock, Gassy Jack’s statue and Science World.

Wood Work by Carol Sawyer (seven segments, from 0:55 to 1:49 minutes each) –  Collectively, these video segments provide fragmentary glimpses into the history of the logging and lumber industries in BC, employing historic local 16mm film footage shot in the 1930s by Alfred Booth. The artist’s careful selection and processing of these source images brings this history back into the present.

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Public Art Program The City of Vancouver Public Art Program produces contemporary art for public spaces throughout the city. The program supports excellence in public art of many kinds, by emerging and established artists, in new and traditional media, and through award-winning commissions and artist collaborations.These projects are part of a growing number of digital media works supported by the Public Art Program.

Vancouver Live! Video Screen Program The outdoor screen location has airtime that has been made available as part of a public benefit agreement with the screen owner and the City of Vancouver as managed by the Cultural Services Department. The support program, known as Vancouver Live!, offers non-profit arts and culture organizations screen time to promote their activities and serves as an occasional digital exhibition space for public art.