"Disrupting Wild Echoes" Exhibit (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

"Disrupting Wild Echoes" Exhibit

The "Disrupting Wild Echoes" by Sarah Ronald Exhibit, opened last March 17, 2022 at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum and curated by Yukiko Stranger-Galey (with Chris Stinson as Scientific Curator),  was initially inspired by the artist’s real and unintentional encounters with coyotes, bears and raccoons in her own backyard and, later, by thoughts about the animal’s experiences before, during and after their encounters with her. 

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Landspeaker (X) - 2021, soft pastel and colored pencil on drafting film

Ronald, a Canadian BFA graduate of Okanagan University College now living in Port Coquitlam, explores themes of wildlife conservation through her hand-drawn animations of wildlife.  Her diverse upbringing in the rural Okanagan shaped her future as a multi-disciplinary nature artist and aspiring creative writer.  To present wildlife and climate concerns beyond the traditional art spaces, she sees installation art and projected animation becoming a significant aspect of her practice.

 

Landspeaker (XII) - 2021, soft pastel
and colored pencil on drafting film

The exhibit, designed by Derek Tan and Evan Craig (with Lesha Koop as fabricator), runs until September 25, 2022.  At the exhibit, we explored the artist's beautiful drawings inspired by the visual language of nighttime captures by trail cameras, whose use becomes an extension of her hand-drawn visualizations.

 

Intuitors - 2021, soft pastel and
colored pencil on drafting film

It offered us an opportunity to relearn and rejoin the natural world, in an ecologically beneficial and holistic way, to consider and connect more wholly with the experience of wild animals.  Using art, Sarah made us explore what it could feel like for an animal to encounter humans in the backyards that we share.

 

Landspeaker (XI) - 2021, soft pastel
and colored pencil on drafting film

Naturally developed into chapters with titles such as “Territory (I), (II), (III)” and so on, the nighttime portraits of animals (which Ronald calls “landspeakers”) captured in the wild include an intrigued, innocently goofy and surprised raccoon, a wolf sniffing the ground and an unsuspecting fox (with fear in his eyes) carrying off a recent kill.

 

Phantom Neighbour - 2021, soft pastel
and colored pencil on drafting film

They are blurred forms with implied movements, unnatural lighting, heightened contrast, muffled darkness and seemingly foreign landscapes.  These emotionally charged depictions mirror human experiences like fear and curiosity, making us relate to these four-legged creatures much more.

Arching Portal - 2021, soft pastel and
colored pencil on drafting film

“Disrupting Wild Echoes” Exhibit: Beaty Biodiversity Museum,  2212 Main Mall, Point Grey, University of British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, British Columbia.  Tel: 604-827-4955. Fax: 604-822-0686.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM.  Admission: C$14 (regular), C$30-45 (Family)  and free (students, staff and faculty).  E-mail: info@beatymuseum.ubc.ca.  Website: www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca.   Coordinates: 49.2636°N 123.2514°W. 

How to Get There: Take the 99-B Bus going straight to the University of British Columbia.  The museum is a 10-min. walk from there.

"Preventing Extinctions: Architecting the Accretocene" Exhibit (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

Preventing Extinctions - Architecting the Accretocene” Exhibit

The “Preventing Extinctions: Architecting the Accretocene” Exhibit, at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, is an exhibit on habitat restoration and rewilding that has been a decade in the making. 

Palmyra Atoll

Conceived by conservation photographer and Beaty Biodiversity Museum supporter Dr. Andrew S. Wright, it celebrates the successes that Island Conservation has had across the world in saving species from extinction on remote islands.

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Gwaii Haanas (Haida Gwaii)

Opened last May 19, 2022, this exhibit features the success of Island Conservation on five islands  - Gwaii Haanas (Canada), Okinoshima (Japan),  Kaho’olawe  (Hawaii),  Palmyra Atoll (Northern Line Islands, South Pacific ) and Isla Floreana and Seymour Norte (Galápagos Islands).  The exhibit runs until March 26, 2023.

 

Okinoshima (Japan)

Since 1994, Island Conservation has teamed up with local communities, governments, and conservation groups in their effort to save species by removing invasive species from fragile ecosystems to protect native biodiversity.  Their efforts focus on the environments where species are the most vulnerable.

 

Isla Floreana and Isla Seymour Norte (Galapagos Islands)

As a part of a global effort where people contribute to the health of the world’s environment, they work together and  have successfully restored 65 islands worldwide, benefiting over 500 species.The recovery work, requiring determination and endurance, has outcomes that are profound and spectacular to experience.

 

Kaho''olawe (Hawaii)

“Preventing Extinctions: Architecting the Accretocene” Exhibit: Beaty Biodiversity Museum,  2212 Main Mall, Point Grey, University of British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, British Columbia.  Tel: 604-827-4955. Fax: 604-822-0686.  Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM.  Admission: C$14 (regular), C$30-45 (Family)  and free (students, staff and faculty).  E-mail: info@beatymuseum.ubc.ca.  Website:
www.beatymuseum.ubc.ca.   Coordinates: 49.2636°N 123.2514°W. 

How to Get There: Take the 99-B Bus going straight to the University of British Columbia.  The museum is a 10-min. walk from there.

Restaurant Review: Cactus Club Cafe Bentall (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall

Cactus Club Cafe Bentall, a Vancouver institution, is part of a chain, founded in 1988 by Richard Jaffray anf now owned by the Fuller family (who also owns Earl’s Kitchen + Bar) that has grown to 32 locations (seven in Vancouver including a couple on the waterfront) all over Canada as of this writing. 

 

Outdoor dining area

It boasts award winning service and offers a menu that is crafted with fresh, local and sustainable ingredients, designed , since 2008, by Canada’s first Iron Chef America Champion Rob Feenie.

 

The vaulted glass wall at the interior

Cactus Club Cafe's culinary vision is led by the Test Kitchen, a team of world-class chefs. The chefs in the Test Kitchen are always looking for inspiration to make food people love, and they work relentlessly to create recipes that will be cherished by our guests, using fresh, local ingredients.

 

Mezzanine Level dining area

They proudly support Canadian farmers and partner with leading organizations such as Ocean Wise and the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef to promote continuous improvement across the food supply chain.

 

View of dining area from mezzanine

The massive, two-storey restaurant at Bentall 5, with a great, upbeat atmosphere and a casual and sophisticated vibe, is located in a beautiful building, with vaulted glass walls at the front, at Vancouver’s Financial District.  The seating inside consists of a nice mix of square and round booths, a bar, a lounge and a heated patio. As we brought along our dog Luffy, we were seated at their outdoor patio, a perfect people watching spot.   

 

Wine rack

For starters, Grace ordered the Ravioli + Prawn Trio (CAD17¼), Chef Rob Feenie’s signature and fabulously luscious pasta recipe with butternut squash and mascarpone ravioli (Feenie is renowned for his ravioli), truffle butter, sautéed jumbo prawns, pine nuts and crispy sage. Kyle wanted the Chicken Tenders (CAD18¾), panko-breaded chicken with sea salted fries and honey mustard dip.

 

Butternut Squash Ravioli

Cheska ordered the vibrant and perfectly balanced Thai Curry Prawns whose spiced green coconut curry draws from traditional Thai ingredients such as lemongrass, ginger, shallot, kaffir lime, steamed bok choy, spinach, peppers, sprouts and fresh herbs, all sprinkled with crispy ricefor a little crunch.

 

Cheddar Bacon Burger

We also tried out the Cheddar Bacon Burger (smashed certified Angus beef, aged cheddar, smoked bacon, red relish, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sea salted fries, CAD22). For dessert, we tried out the Chocolate Lava Cake (CAD11¼), molten dark chocolate cake with Tahitian vanilla ice cream.

 

Chicken Tenders

Although a bit pricey, the food was excellent and really delicious. The waitress serving was also kind, courteous, polite and professional, checking on us, from time to time, to make sure everything was okay. 

 

Thai Curry Prawns

Chocolate Lava Cake

Cactus Club Café Bentall 5: 588 Burrard St., Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 0A8 Canada.  Tel: +1 604-682-0933. Open daily, 11 AM – 12 AM.  Website: www.cactusclubcafe.com/location/bentall-5/.

Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward (Vancouver Maritime Museum, British Columbia, Canada))

 

Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward)

The “Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward),” a temporary multidisciplinary exhibition at the Vancouver Maritime Museum, ongoing from September 16, 2021 to August 15, 2022, showcases Canoe Cultures, a program that promotes canoe pulling and builds new traditional Indigenous canoes through an apprenticeship program (led by seventh-generation canoe builder Mike Billy Sr. who has the Squamish name Lemxacha Siyam).

 

Ho’-ku-melh is a Chinook Jargon (a trade language that was used in what is now known as Alaska, British Columbia and Oregon) word meaning “to gather.” The 20 indigenous artists and knowledge holders in this expansive and multi-sensory journey share their gifts as they celebrate the resilience of indigenous communities and explore climate change, food security, displacement, ongoing colonialism and more while celebrating the history of the war canoe on the West Coast. 

The exhibition gathers together many voices and much wisdom about Salish canoes through stories, poems, textiles, murals, illustrations, and photographs as well as actual canoes (old, new and as works-in-progress).

 

Canoe Moon (Gerry Sheena - Interior Salish)

Curated by Roxanne Charles (a mixed media artist, contemporary storyteller and a member of Semiahmoo First Nation in Surrey, British Columbia), Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh also honors the long history of canoe culture on the West Coast. 

Canoe Cultures Carving Tools

The canoe, a vital element to coastal indigenous life and to mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health, has enabled indigenous communities to travel the highways of their ancestors since time immemorial.

 

Cedar Hat (Crystal Stogan)

Through war canoe or racing canoe stories, this exhibition honors the beautiful culture of Salish peoples; recognizes the strength, resilience, stewardship and generosity of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations and acknowledges the traditional village site of Sen̓áḵw (meaning “The place inside the head of False Creek”).

 

Creator, Take Us Home (Caitlin Aleck)

We entered the exhibition, under a cedar archway, into a series of vibrantly colored rooms and we were greeted by the scent of cedar shavings from the work of the Canoe Cultures program in a room filled with art.

 

Jacket with canoe-themed adornments (Christie Lee Charles)

Highlights of the exhibit include:

• A triptych of feltings by Cease Wyss that represent Indigenous life prior to contact
• An illustration called “Ôsi :: The Canoe,” by Caleb Ellison-Dysart, depicting and exploring his personal connection to the canoe and references the story of how Rabbit came to be on the moon.
• A weaving, by Caitlin Aleck, titled “Creator, Take Us Home” in which the artist interprets the events surrounding the remains at residential schools and how the children can now travel back to their Creator in canoes.
• A mural by Jessey Sue Tustin that addresses the loss of personal connection to history that many Indigenous people experience
• A beautiful jacket with canoe-themed adornments by Christie Lee Charles
• A massive photograph of the delegation of Indigenous chiefs who petitioned the British King and the Canadian government to repeal the restrictions imposed through the Indian Act.
• A poem by Wil George celebrating the canoe
• Mitzi, a 70-year-old racing canoe from the Squamish Nation North Van Canoe Club, that has gone through many developments over the years and was the first dugout racing canoe on the coast to receive a carbon-fiber coating. 

Mural (Jessey Sue Tustin)

There’s also a room dedicated to the ongoing challenges Indigenous cultures face from industry and climate change. It also explores historic wrongs such as residential schools. The room features information and artistic responses to issues. 

Stories From a Long Time Ago (Cease Wyss)

Before leaving the exhibition, a display invites us to consider how they can act as an ally to Indigenous people and communities.

 

Photograph of the Delegation of Indigenous Chiefs 

The combination of evocative art and historical background tells an inspiring story of the strength and resilience of Indigenous cultures plus the use of the canoe as the focal point makes this an accessible and enjoyable exhibition. 

Self-Paddling Gliwa (Paul Windsor)

CBC provided the media sponsorship while  Fortis BC, Concord Pacific, Vancity and London Drugs provided support for this exhibition. 

Salish Beauty (Chris Tait)

 

Reflections (Ocean Hyland)

Canoe Cultures :: Ho’-ku-melh (War Canoes and the Gifts They Carry Forward): Vancouver Maritime Museum,1905 Ogden Ave., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6J 1A3.  Website:  https://vanmaritime.com/ho-ku-melh/ and www.vancouvermaritimemuseum.com. Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission: $13.50 (adults), $11.00 (seniors and students), $10.00 (ages 6-18 years old) and free (children 5 years old and under).  Coordinates: 49.277507°N 123.147265°W. 

How to Get There: The museum is located within Vanier Park just west of False Creek on the Vancouver waterfront. 

80 Years of Iconic Moments (Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

80 Years of Iconic Moments

Fairmont Hotel Vancouver celebrated its 80th Anniversary and the completion of a multi-phase $75 million renovation on May 25th, 2019  with “80 Years of Iconic Moments,” a captivating photo exhibition masterminded by Fairmont marketing manager Rebecca MacDonald and international portrait photographer Dennis Gocer that re-imagines eight decades of its iconic moments with a contemporary lens on traditional storytelling. 

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The Vancouver born and raised Dennis Gocer, founder and Creative Director of The Collective You, has created portraits for brands such as Burberry, DeBeers, Tesla, and Omega. His work has also been published internationally in Vogue, Wallpaper and VanityFair.

 

In addition to original images of past dignitary and celebrity guests, MacDonald and Gocer  worked together to create a series of seven stunning portraits, each a modern reimagining of key moments and images from the hotel’s history.  The portraits give new life to everyone from legendary Sun photographer Jack Lindsay to the Lady in Red, said to be notorious former Vancouver socialite Jeannie Pearl Cox, who frequented the hotel for teas, dances and social events, and who died nearby in 1944 in a car crash.

 

Since 1944, Cox kept residence at the hotel without paying a cent for her stay and her ghost is said to still walk the halls. Mounted on panels explaining their significance, the images debuted at a lavish gala held last May 24, 2019 and displayed in the hotel’s iconic Pacific Ballroom throughout 2019.

 

Bellman

The photo shoot, completed in a single day back in January of 2019, showcases locations throughout the property, from the ballroom to the roof, and features brands such as De Beers Jewellers, Holt Renfrew and Stella McCartney. In homage to its history, the hotel excavated old memorabilia from the city’s newspaper and photography archives.

 

Carver

The scenes in the photographs convey a timeless fashion story, complemented by diamond jewelry (including the Mosaic Necklace which boasts 1,314 diamonds and a total carat weight of 145.65 carats) provided exclusively from De Beers Jewellers.   The new photographs were inspired by iconic moments that include legendary movie star Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger sneaking into the hotel’s Panorama Roof restaurant, for a quick photo opportunity, in the middle of an evening performance in 1940. 

 

Ethel

Though, over its eight decades, the hotel has been frequented by many celebrities of the likes of Indira Gandhi, Diana Ross and Roy Roger, dignitaries and royals, some of the most fascinating stories are about former staff. There’s the craftsman, in the 1930s, who placed a newspaper and personal essay on civil rights inside the rooftop gargoyle he was carving. Its recreation was part of a series of challenges as a model had to be strapped to a rooftop gargoyle.

 

Marie

There’s also no-nonsense housekeeper with a love for classics Ethel Ferguson who, horrified by a “modernization” during the 1960s, hid over 200 pieces of Chippendale’s furniture around the hotel and, more than 15 years later, only came clean and returned them after she approved of the hotel’s new restoration plan. 

80 Years of Iconic Moments: Hotel Lobby, Fairmont Vancouver Hotel, 900 W Georgia St,, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2W6, Canada. Tel: +1 604 684 3131 · Fax: +1 604 662 1929 · Email: hvc.concierge@fairmont.com.

"Restless: Recent Acquisitions" Exhibit (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

 

"Restless: Recent Acquisitions" Exhibit

The “RESTLESS: Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit, opened last April 15, 2022, comprises nine recent acquisitions from the last decade that build upon the programming and collecting goals of Vancouver Art Gallery’s Institute of Asian Art. 

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Foreground: Calm (Xu Chen, 2013, site-specific media installation)

Curated by Diana Freundl, Restless refers to the underlying sense of movement reverberating through this exhibition’s featured works—whether by changing one’s position geographically through travel and migration or by shifting digitally into the virtual metaverse. The exhibit runs until September 11, 2022.

 

Two of 10 handpainted black and white photographs of
Sunhere Sapne - Golden Dreams (Pushpamala N, 1998)

It also speaks to radically altering perspectives and structural paradigms, a global de-centering. To be restless implies constant activity or motion but also a boredom and sense of anxiety. It is both rousing and unsettling.

 

Windows 97 (Paul Wong, 1997, animated neon mounted
on hand-painted galvanized steel, inkjet print on canvas)

Since the 1980s, the Vancouver Art Gallery has acquired a significant number of important contemporary works by international and local artists of Asian descent in order to provide a better understanding of the multiple art histories of our time. 

 

Tansy Point (Henry Tsang, 2019)

Flanked by giant portraits of Queen Elizabeth II and Mao Tse Tung (which serve as the politically loaded entryway) within the grandeur of the rotunda is Windows 97, three striking neon artworks by Vancouver artist Paul Wong (b. 1954, Canada).  It responds to the shifts in power at the end of the 20th century.

 

As It is Becoming (Jin-me Yoon, 2018)

At the center of it all is Made In Company’s “rumbling” pile of rubble on the floor (also called Restless) and a bold reworking of the 1930s film Charlie Chan and the Yellow Peril by Young-Hae Chung Heavy Industries (United States, South Korea).

 

The Yellow Pages (Ho Tam, inkjet prints on mulberry paper, 2020)

Other featured artists include Gu Xiong (b. 1953, China), Sunil Gupta (b. 1953, India), Ho Tam (Hong Kong), Jin Me Yoon (b. 1960, South Korea), Pushpamala N. (b. 1956, India), Henry Tsang and Xu Zhen (b. 1977, China).

 

Untitled (Sunil Gupta, 2014, archival inkjet print)

 “Restless Recent Acquisitions” Exhibit: 3/F, Vancouver Art Gallery, 750 Hornby Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6Z 2H7, Canada.    Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, 10 AM – 5 PM, Tuesdays and Fridays, 12 noon to 8 PM. Admission: $24.00 (adults), $20.00 (seniors), $18 (students), $6.50 (children, 6 – 12 years old) and free (children 5 years old and under).  Tuesdays, from 5 – 9 PM are “donation nights” (pay whatever you want or can afford). Coordinates: 49.282875°N 123.120464°W.