We have just over a month to go till Christmas. Are you ready?
The Starbucks cups were out on the 1st, St. Paul’s Lights of Hope turns on next Thursday and the Christmas Train starts up on December 2nd, Each unique event reminds us of how close we are coming to the family holiday.
And there’s so much to do…
The cleaning is what stresses us out. Vacuuming, scrubbing, dusting, polishing – it all must be done before the family arrives.
Then there are the lights to be hung, the tree to buy and the sweets to be baked.
Finding time to rest over the holidays can be a chore in itself. To improve your horizontal hours, purchase a Simmons Beautyrest mattress from Vancouver’s mattress store. It will be a gift that you can enjoy every day of the year. You can’t say that about the Rudolph-themed slippers you received from Uncle Rob.
When watching a film, our gaze is directed at a subject that has been chosen for us. We give the director free reign to control our sight line. This exchange encourages new experiences, some of which are cultural.
This week, the Vancouver Asian Film Festival hopes to direct our eyes towards the North American Asian experience.
In their 15th year of operation, the VAFF is intent on providing a cultural bridge between Asian and non-Asian communities. The Festival will run from November 3rd to November 6th, with all shows screening at Cineplex Odeon International Village, near Roger’s Arena.
The films range in subjects from cross-cultural love for the Vancouver Canucks, to a historical documentary on the migration of asian settlers to North America.
Also included in this year’s festival, as a part of Vancouver’s 125th celebration, is an encore presentation of “Love Letters,” the photo and video campaign shown last June. Love Letters was an open call for Vancouver citizens to submit digital records of images and video that conveyed their love for our fair city. VAFF will show Joanna Wong’s entry on the festival’s opening night.
Tickets for all the shows may be purchased online at the Festival site or the day of at the Festival box office. Passes are also available for the true film buffs.
Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside is an area of the city that many of us choose to avoid. The poverty level scares us, the open drug market makes us nervous and the prostitution reminds us of the dangerous hold of addiction. So we divert our travel routes, choose alternative venues and leave the issues for the community to deal with on their own. It’s a coping mechanism that most of us subscribe to.
One thing we can’t forget, even if we choose to turn our backs, is that the DES is full of people. People who have a past, present and future. People who value the community they live in. People who are artistic, creative and passionate.
As a part of Vancouver’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, the DES community will be celebrating the ‘Heart of the City Festival.’ The festival will showcase the talents of many of the area’s current citizens, as well as document some of the rich stories from the neighbourhood’s past.
Events are running all week. For more details check the festival website:
Language is a toolbox from which we borrow implements to cut, shape and model our thoughts. From Facebook posts, to journal entries, to private poems, our soul is portrayed through the words we connect together.
This month, writers and readers from around the province will have a chance to celebrate the expressive power of writing. The 24th Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival will be held on Granville Island from Tuesday, October 18th to Sunday, October 23rd. It begins with an interactive session with the children’s author, Paulette Bourgeois. Bourgeois is the creator of the ‘Franklin’ series that adults and their children have enjoyed since 1986. The discussion is aimed at young readers. Primary teachers and encouraged to bring their classes down for this midmorning discussion.
The final event of the festival is the Governor General’s Award Party, where four previous recipients of Canada’s highest literary achievement will discuss the award and it’s social merit. The four writers, Nino Ricci, John Pass, Joan MacLeod and John Vaillant, will each read a short passage from their decorated work.
In between these bookends, will be a number of author seminars, publishing and writing workshops, poetry slams and literary debates.
The Vancouver festival will also host a short story and poetry contest for emerging writers. Deadline for submissions is October 23rd.
But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling like dew upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think. -Lord Byron
Tired of taco night and boring pasta dishes? Want to rekindle your culinary passions? Looking for things to do around Vancouver that don’t involve a mattress?
The Arts Club Theatre Company is hosting celebrity cooking classes for Vancouverites to learn and indulge in the fine art of food preparation. Head chefs, from a variety of restaurants around the Lower Mainland, are teaching the classes. The lessons include a full meal, wine tasting and a hands-on learning experience.
Hosted at private homes, the lessons are an opportunity to learn cooking techniques in a casual environment, where the product can be enjoyed in the setting it was intended for.
Tickets are $125 per person. There are five planned events being offered before the New Year. Each class is unique and specific to the chef who is hosting.
Your PVR recordings of Hell’s Kitchen can only take you so far. Learn how to cook extravagant meals without Gordon Ramsey telling you where to stick it.
For more information, visit the Arts Club Theatre website.
The new moon has a special significance in October (and no, it has nothing to do with Vampires). It marks the date of the cultural festival known as Diwali. Observed by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, Diwali is a fall festival that celebrates ‘good over evil.’
In traditional celebrations, the triumph of good is portrayed through the lightening of lamps and candles.
The new moon is the darkest day of the month. In a natural setting, void of electrical lights, the candles represent a defeat of the darkness that exists during the absence of the moon.
Like Thanksgiving, Diwali is traditionally a family occasion, with activities organized around the family unit. But it is also celebrated with community events and decorations.
The slogan for Vancouver’s publicly organized Diwali celebrations is “Light your Spirit.” There are five major events put on by Vancouver Celebrates Diwali. They run from October 15th to the 23rd. Here is a brief summary of the planned festivities:
October 16
“Dance All Sorts Diwali Style” (2:00 pm)
-The festival will begin with a performance by Bageshree Vaze, a contemporary kathak dancer, who will preform at the Roundhouse Theatre in Yaletown. Tickets at the door.
October 18
“Diwali Bright Lights” (4:30 pm)
-This night is dedicated to emerging South Asian artists in the Vancouver community. It will include classical Indian music and a variety of dance groups, including the ever-popular Bollywood style. The event will take place at the Heritage Hall on Main Street. This is a free event.
“Chai House on Main Street”
-This is an upscaled version of the earlier event. The headline performer will be Grammy winner Chin Injeti. Tickets are $10.
October 23
“Diwali Downtown” (12:00 pm)
This is a family event to close out the public festival. It runs from noon till 6:00 pm at the Roundhouse in Yaletown. There will be a variety of musical acts, dance teams, craft workshops and traditional Indian food. Tickets for this final event are by donation.
Vancouver is blessed to have so many diverse ethnicities infused into its kaleidoscope culture. Celebrating specific regions of origin helps Vancouverites appreciate the richness of our multicultural society.
This weekend, the city is proud to host Taiwanfest. With a variety of events planned around the city, Taiwanfest hopes to offer a sampling of the entertainment, food and art from the island of Taiwan and Mainland China.
Free musical performances will be held all weekend around the Vancouver Art Gallery. One of the anticipated highlights of the Labour Day weekend will be the Musou Girls. Starting at 8pm on Saturday, the Musou girls will play a mix of modern and traditional Chinese instruments. The music is composed by the founder of the group, Mr. Xue Xuan Liu.
For a deeper look into the Taiwanese culture, checkout the four documentaries that will be showing around town. Simmons Mattress Gallery suggests “Faces of Taiwan.” This film is made up of five mini docs that focus on overcoming adversity.
On the edible menu will be Vancouver’s first street banquet. This event is being sponsored by the city as part of Vancouver’s 125th celebrations.
Taiwanese ceramics will be on display at the Roundhouse theatre from September 3rd to the 10th.
Enjoy the festivities!
For a more detailed schedule of events click here.
Vancouver is a haven for public art. From “The Birds” at the Olympic Plaza in the Athletes Village complex, to the “A-maze-ing Laughter” men at English Bay, to the “Equestrian Monument” at the Yaletown Roundhouse Skytrain Station, art surrounds us.
Now BC Hydro is adding its own touch to the public art scene in our city. Hydro boxes are now being decorated with vegetation scenes, children’s art work and graphic design pieces. ‘Function’ is giving ‘design’ an opportunity to paint on its metal canvas.
Instead of random tags and garish graffiti, the boxes now display images that are more reflective of the community they are located in.
Often commissioned, public art is a way for large corporations and city planners to probe the imagination of commuters, homeowners and travelers. The installations encourage an interaction between the observer and the artist. They make us value our streets.
So lift your head from your smart phone browsing and take in the installations that pepper our city streets. They may inspire a response that could change your day.
You wouldn’t think the airport would be a weekend destination spot, but YVR has other plans. This summer, experience ‘Take-Off Fridays’ at the Vancouver International Airport for games, family events a live DJ and multicultural mingling.
The final Friday event is August 27th. The fun starts around eight in the morning and wraps up around four at night. The festivities are spread out over both the domestic and international terminals.
Activities include face painting, dancing, food specials and the ‘money machine.’ The latter offers each contestant a chance to grab as many YVR bucks as they can. The catch: you need to grab them while standing in a closed wind cylinder. Each ‘buck’ you grab can be used towards purchasing items at stores around the airport.
The backdrop to this event are the finely carved and crafted First Nation artifacts that routinely offer travelers a glimpse at the beautiful history of the first West Coast peoples.
Come and enjoy the richness of YVR with the whole family. Your kids will love it and you will be reminded of how lucky we are to have such an amazing airport to welcome and bid farewell to travelers from all over the world.
Zimbabwe is a country with deep political problems. It’s economy has been suffering for more than a decade and personal freedoms have been being steadily reduced as its president for the last twenty years, Robert Mugabe, struggles to retain control. It is far from a safe region to visit.
This is a tragedy for art lovers around the world, as Zimbabwe is home to Africa’s finest stone sculptors. The word Zimbabwe actually means, ‘Great House of Stone’ in the Shona language.
Fortunately, many of the stone pieces being produced in the country are now part of a traveling exhibition that will be visiting Vancouver for the next month. The works are being shown at the VanDusen gardens. It is the only Canadian stop on the world tour.
Two of the artists behind the works, Passmore Mupindiko and Patrick Sephani, are giving daily lessons on stone art. The two artists are currently traveling with the stones and the exhibitions two curators, Vivienne and Joseph Croissette.
There is no extra cost to see the sculptures or to attend the daily stone workshops.
The Vancouver Art Gallery is currently hosting “The Colour of My Dreams: The Surrealist Revolution in Art.” The exhibition began in May and will run until September 25th. Simmons Mattress Gallery encourages you to inspire your own dreams by witnessing the amazing works on display at the VAG.
Surrealism was a reaction to Sigmund Freud’s investigation into the meaning of dreams. André Breton wrote the manifesto of the movement in 1924 and encouraged artists to create works that focused on the unconscious mind over perceived reality.
Part of the exhibition highlights the connection between Pacific Northwest First Nations art and the Surrealist movement. Apparently, many of the contributing artists looked to First Nations art for inspiration.
Kwakwaka’wakw Headdress from Alert Bay
Another theme of the exhibition is the influence of cinema. Still a relatively new medium in the early half of the 1900s, film was able to put images in motion and create a fluid canvas on which perspective could be manipulated. From avant-garde films to Charlie Chaplin, to Betty Boop, cinema created a fictional world that the surrealists saw as similar to their own artistic ambitions.
Artists on display include: Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, René Magritte, Alberto Giacometti and many more.
Summer is the perfect time to curl up with a good read. You can spread out on the back lawn, take in the sun and be transported to the Manchurian plains. At night, while the cushioning coils of your Simmons support your lower body, you can flip through the new bestseller and walk the back alleys of nineteenth century London.
Finding an appropriate book, that won’t be a waste of time, can sometimes be a task. To aid you in this process, Simmons Mattress Gallery has two suggestions for summer reads.
1. Various Positions
Dance positions…
This is a novel by a Canadian author living in Toronto. With similarities to last years Oscar darling, Black Swan, Various Positions, explores the physical pressures and suppressed sexuality of the ballet world. Like Swan, the protagonist is a young girl striving to make an impression on the artistic stage. She falls in love with the artistic director, but decides to hide her feelings and focus on her craft – the one thing she can control.
2. The Help
Almost every book club in North America has added this title to their list. The Help is set in the 1960s, in Mississippi. It revolves around a young female writer who returns to her hometown around the time a law is set in place forbidding black workers (the help) from using the bathrooms of their employers. Skeeter, the protagonist, exposes the absurdity of this bill by writing a novel about the many essential services provided by the black women who raise the children of white families. The movie will be out on August 12th.
The Queen of pop, Rihanna, has released a brand new video on a subject close to our hearts. Rihanna’s new single, “California King Bed,” details the relationship between two lovers who, even though they share a bed, are separated by an emotional distance.
The red-haired singer laments, “It feels like more than distance between us / In this California king bed / We’re 10,000 miles apart.”
In the video, directed by Anthony Mandler, Rihanna is seen lying in bed with a muscular model. As the song progresses, the bed widens and a physical separation appears between the couple.
Ironically, a California King, the largest mattress in the Simmons Beautyrest line, is four inches longer, not wider, than a regular king size mattress. Our Simmons’ mattress professionals recommend this mattress for individuals taller than 6’’.
The Barbados pop star measures in at 5′9”, a height that probably does not require the extra four inches in length. Our suggestion for Rihanna, go with a Queen size. It will bring you and your significant other closer and still allow for extended, after-hours play.
We understand her choice though, as ‘California king’ works more effectively as a symbol for her conflict and her lover.
The official video was released on Monday, May 9th. The single, we’re sure, will be the radio hit of the summer, adding to the list of hits that Rhianna’s Loud album has already generated.
Vancouverites will be able to see the singer live when she performs two sold out shows in June. We already have our tickets. Fingers crossed she encores with “California King Bed.”
If you happened to go for a beach stroll along English Bay last Friday morning, you may have noticed some extra “wrapping” around some of Vancouver’s public sculptures. Five figures were wrapped with plastic ribbon to announce the sad, expected departure, of the 40 pieces of public art involved in the Vancouver Biennale outdoor exhibit. The ribbon was labeled with the phrase, ”It’s not the same without sculpture.” The situational irony is heavy, as Vancouverites will have to say goodbye to a number of massive sculptures that shared their community for the last two years.
Commissioned for the years surrounding the Olympics, the Biennale art added a sense of humour and fun to a city that has often been lacking in both of these areas. The project reflected cultural influences from around the world by using the work of 37 artists from 15 different countries. The pieces lined our beaches, sat in public parks and spoke to us from the sidewalk.
Now with the project timeline coming to a close, the sculptures that many of us enjoyed on a daily basis are being auctioned off. The proceeds, collected from the sale of the current figures, will finance future projects, educational packages and artists in residence programs.
Simmons Mattress Gallery’s three favourite pieces from the first round of sculptures were:
One of the most alluring aspects of Vancouver is our dedication to the Arts. All around our city, there are indoor and outdoor installations featuring the work of local artists. From the public statues erected for the Olympic year, to small galleries on Granville Island, to the always-inspiring work of Bill Reid at the Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver is proud to display the talents of Canadian artists.
One of the smaller galleries that is making a name for itself for its historical and cultural exhibits is The Pendulum Gallery. The Pendulum is located at the base of the HSBC tower. It is a seven story, glass-covered atrium, created with the help of the City of Vancouver to promote cultural and historical exhibitions.
Last month, the Pendulum showed a photography exhibit titled “Swedes in B.C.,” which documented the life of Swedish immigrants.
This month, the gallery will be showing the work of Taizo Yamamoto. Yamamoto has produced an exhibition of intricate drawings titled “Shopping Carts and Recent Drawings.” The works present artifacts and single subject sketches of downtown life. The shopping carts are presented as still lifes, a vehicle holding the possessions and survival instruments of absent figures. The detail is truly amazing and worth the trip downtown.
So come out and support the work of local artists. You will walk away with a new appreciation for your own community and the projects it inspires.
“Every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.”
With holiday consumerism in full swing, it’s nice to have classic Christmas tales to remind us of what is truly important – family, friends and community spirit.
George Bailey may not have the perfect life, but what he does have is all the ingredients for a ‘Wonderful Life.’ With help from his guardian angel, Clarence, George realizes that even dashed dreams of travel and higher education are meaningless when compared with the shared experiences and support of the loved ones that populate our waking moments.
“It’s a Wonderful Life,” is all about love, loss, hope and the realization that everyone makes a difference.
This timeless holiday film is now being preformed as a theatrical production at the Arts Club Theatre. With snippets of Frank Capra’s original film seamlessly integrated, the production is not to be missed. Bob Frazer does an amazing job in the role of George, filling the boots of the immortal Jimmy Stewart.
Peter Birnie, of the Vancouver Sun gushes that the play “soars on angel wings of innovation.”
Don’t miss your chance to get tickets. The production ends on January 2nd.
So take the whole family down to Granville Island and enjoy a classic story that resonates with everyday emotional truths.
Even with the age of personal electronics in hyper-drive, it is still nice to relax before bed with a good book. The paper bound kind.
This week Simmons Mattress Gallery would like to post a few of our favourite reads to inspire this timeless nightly ritual.
1. The Millennium Series – This Swedish crime series has won fans all over the world. All three books are essential reading for literary lovers. Stieg Larsson has crafted a trilogy that throws you directly into a world of family intrigue, sexual exploitation and modern investigative practices. The strong female protagonist, Lisabeth Salander, is part Nikita, part Sherlock Holmes. Avoid the temptation to watch the films first.
2. Stanley Park – Nominated for the Giller Prize in 2001, this is the first novel by local writer Timothy Taylor. Set in Vancouver, the novel revolves around the factual unsolved murder of two children in Stanley Park. It has wonderful descriptive culinary passages, as the main character is a chef. You may also notice a strong resemblance between the novel’s description of the fictitious coffee company Inferno and the Northwest based barista house, Starbucks.
3. Mister Pip – This is an understated novel by New Zealand author Lloyd Jones. Set on an unnamed Pacific island in the midst of a civil war, “Mister Pip” details the power of a single piece of literature to educate, inspire and mystify. Mr. Watts, the only white man in a community of islanders, uses Charles Dickens’ classic, work, “Great Expectations,” to teach a schoolhouse full of forgotten children the value of life and the written word.
We would love to hear your own suggestions for essential bedtime reading.
Eco-fashion and art merge in the work of Natalie Purschwitz, a recipient of a 2010 BC Creative Achievement award. In a yearlong research project called Makeshift(September 2009-Sept 2010), Natalie wore only clothing and accessories she designed and made herself. This included her shoes, undergarments and coats. Natalie documented her journey on a blog that gained worldwide attention.
Natalie Purschwitz on Her East Van Rooftop
She described her project as part conceptual art, part fashion design, and part social experiment. Having taken training in anthropology, visual art and design she wanted to examine the convergences of ‘clothing,’ ‘living,’ and ‘making.’ Only three weeks into the project Purschwitz confessed to being very tired. The steep learning curve and the task of maintaining a high level of creativity and innovation were not easy. As an example, her first shoes were rudimentary foot coverings, constructed of leather and wood. In addition to making clothing for herself, Natalie was still operating her own business, the Hunt and Gatherclothing line.
Purschwitz’s clothing, as you would imagine, combines the functional with the conceptual. Utilizing used, found and organic materials her clothes are contemporary and futuristic, while maintaining a hand-made feel.
A $2,500 prize accompanies the award Natalie received this week. She also now has the honour of using the BC Creative Achievement Award seal, signifying creative excellence.
Simmons Mattress Gallery applauds Natalie Purschwitz and wishes her continued success.
Find cineophile heaven at the 29th annual Vancouver International Film Festival. The opening gala, held last night, featured Barney’s Version, a film based on one of Mordecai Richler’s most adored novels starring Dustin Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Minnie Driver. The closing gala, on October 15,th features the Illusionist, an animated French film about a magician who brings his magic to an orphan girl he encounters on a trip to Edinburgh.
In between, there are 359 films from 80 countries. Most of these are films that would not be shown at your local multiplex theatre. They are pictures without a heavyweight distributor. By showing at the festival, the producers hope to create a buzz and catch the attention of a larger studio.
One smaller film that looks intriguing is The Desert of Forbidden Art, playing October 9, 10 and 14. This film is the remarkable story of Igor Savitsky, who garnered a collection of suppressed Russian avant-garde art on the edge of a desert in Uzbekistan. He dedicated his life to seek out works by artists who had ignored Stalin’s artistic mandate of happy peasants and heroic workers. Many of the artists whose work Savitsky saved, were eventually sent to prison or executed.
There is a one time, five-dollar membership fee for attending the festival. The tickets themselves will only cost you $10 on weekdays and $12 on weekends.
Since there are so many shows, all performances will start exactly on time. No latecomers will be admitted. (They seem to be fairly strict about this.)
Some of the shows that are already creating a buzz are:
7 (X1) Samurai – A wordless show based on Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai film by mime and clowning expert David Gaines.
Freud vs. his Ego – Another one-man project about the most famous psychoanalyst of our time.
Miracle in Rwanda – Leslie Lewsis takes on the role of up to seven Rwandan genocide survivors who hide in a bathroom for 91 days to avoid being captured.
After each performance, the audience will be asked to rate the show. These reports will be used to select the Public Market Pick of the Fringe.
The festival will run until the 19th of September.
Beatirce had to think fast on her feet. The Gatekeeper was demanding a reason why he should let her enter, even though the torrential rain seemed to be the obvious answer.
“I’m a princess,” she said coldly, mustering a stare that demanded attention.
Half an hour later, her ruse had her inside the gates and heading to the castle. The king had apparently set aside a special room for her to sleep in.
Once inside, she was lead to a tower and asked politely to climb a long staircase. After five minutes of climbing, she reached a stone platform with a single door. A servant swung it open and motioned her in. The room was well lit with candles and from their glow Beatrice could see that the only piece of furniture was a towering four-post bed.
“This, your lady, will be your sleeping quarters.”
“You mean I am supposed to sleep on that? I don’t think so. How would I even get up there?”
“There’s a ladder my lady,” the servant explained, ” on the far side of the bed.”
“Is this any way to treat a princess,” she said, remembering her character.
“It is by the Queen’s orders,” replied the servant, shutting the door.
Beatrice stared back at the mattress stack and whispered under her breath, “Are they serious?”
Mattress Stack
Early the next morning there was a loud banging at the door. Beatrice climbed down from the mountain of beds and opened it, still half asleep.
As she did, a small crowd of royal dignitaries burst into the room, staring intently at her.
The Queen pushed to the front of the pack and addressed Beatrice: “So young lady, how was your sleep?” The others in the room leaned closer, as if Beatrice’s answer would change their lives forever.
“Not so great, now that you ask,” replied Beatrice.
A cheer erupted from the crowd at the back of the room, but was quickly hushed by the Queen. “And why would that be.”
Beatrice stared at the tower she had slept on and thought for moment. “Well, you may have stacked twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds on top of one another, but I don’t see a single Simmons in the bunch.”
“We make sacred pact. I promise teach karate to you, you promise learn. I say, you do, no questions. “
-Mr. Miyagi
The Karate Kid
For all those children of the 80s who were brought up on adventure classics like the Goonies and Star Wars, rejoice. FreshAirCinema is bringing classic popcorn films back to the big screen; well, back to a big blow up screen.
FreshAirCinema is hosting free outdoor movie nights around the province for the next month and a half. Locations and times can be found on the company’s Facebook page titled: Free Outdoor Movie Events in BC.
This week’s can’t-miss-feature is the ‘original’ Karate Kid, starring a young Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso and Pat Morita as the zen master, Mr. Miyagi. The movie will be screened at Ceperley Field, the large grassy area just behind Second Beach, in Stanley Park. The start time will be 9:30.
Last year’s performance of The Princess Bride brought out huge crowds to the same setting. So get there early, bring a blanket and spread out.
Other outdoor free shows around the Lower Mainland this summer are:
August 7th: Wizard of Oz at Holland Park in Surrey (9:00)
August 8th: Back to the Future at David Lam Park in Yaletown (9:00)
August 9th: The Never Ending Story at McSpadden Park in East Van
August 13th: E.T. at Harbour Green Park in Coal Harbour
“And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof thro’ the night” that Van City was still there
The Celebration of Light, formerly the Symphony of Fire, returns to Vancouver tonight for four nights of spectacular ariel visuals.
This year there will be four countries competing: United States, Spain, Mexico and China.
The United States will open the fireworks festival tonight with a tribute to the Big Band Era. The theme of their routine, put together by the Rozzi’s Famous Firework team, is ‘In the Mood.’
The shows will then run every Wednesday and Saturday till July 31st, when China will close out the festival.
The countries will be competing against each other under the categories of geneal concept, colour, originality, quality of production and correlation of music.
Last years festival was not judged, but the 2008 winner was Canada’s Archangel Fireworks Inc., with their theme of ‘Attack.’
This year the fireworks will be shot from two separate barges setup in English Bay.
Here is a list of some of the top viewing spots:
English Bay Beach
-You can hear the music from the loudspeakers, the waterfalls from the barge are all visible and the ariel explosions are directly overhead.
Burrard Bridge
-Spots fill up fast and you have to stand the whole time, but the bridge is an awesome elevated location.
From a boat in English Bay
-If you or a friend is lucky enough to have a boat, find a spot in the bay and enjoy the show from the water. If there is any extra room on your vessel make sure to call us.
(Safety note: Make sure your boat is equipped with a spotlight to find your way back through the maze of other ships once the show has wrapped)
Vanier Park
-Not as close as English Bay, but the crowds are more bearable and the sight lines are excellent.
(Musical note: If you are watching the fireworks from a distance, make sure to bring aportable radio and tune into Shore 104fm to listen to the corresponding music.)
Celebration of Light
If you have any opinions about the performances, feel free to share them with us as comments on our blog.
This summer, Vancouver will be treated to a beautiful collection of French paintings focusing on ‘The Modern Woman.’
The Vancouver Art Gallery is proud to display some of the finest drawings, from the 19th Century, contained in the Musée d’Orsay.
Featured artists will be: Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Édouard Manet.
The exhibition focuses on the changing role of women in society, during the 19th Century. This change is expressed in the forms, roles and portrayal of the female character by some of the most famous artists of that time period.
One of the common themes that arises from viewing these works is ‘independence.’ The modern woman is not bound to a domestic environment. She is not a figure to be romanticized or idealized. She is the central character in her own world. She is free to gaze on her audience, to enjoy her own pursuits and to occupy the canvas without a male companion.
This independence is a huge departure from the saintly, maternal figures portrayed in European art before the 19th Century. The significance of this artistic shift is a direct reflection of the modernization of social thought.
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