Have you ever strolled down West 4th Avenue and wondered what daily life was like in Kitsilano back when it was the hippie capital of Canada? On July 13, you can tap into that long-gone groovy vibe and the counter-culture spirit of other watershed eras, too at This Happened Here, an art exhibition that will touch down on 4th Avenue as part of the Khatsahlano! Music + Art Festival.
And touch down on 4th Avenue isn't an exaggeration: The exhibition will inhabit a row of shipping containers that'll be lined up in the middle of the street. "Finding a place where 10 containers could go was a challenge," says Thomas Anselmi, curator of This Happened Here and partner in the Arrival Agency (an events firm and creative agency from the team that, once upon a time, transformed the Waldorf Hotel into the hippest joint in town). Arrival teamed up with Khatsahlano! this year to coordinate the artistic element of the popular fest.
Far less frustrating to Anselmi-and-co was deciding what to include in the show, which showcases a staggering array of work representing key moments in Vancouver's tumultuous history. "I think BC in general attracts a non-conformist, individualist personality, and some of the best things that have happened here culturally have developed on the fringes of society and outside the traditional world of art and culture," says Anselmi. "This Happened Here offers windows into different times in Vancouver's history."
Visitors to the containers will encounter:
photos of Vancouver punk pioneers by celebrated photographer Bev Davies, accompanied by music from that era ("She's one of the foremost chroniclers of punk rock in general," said Anselmi);
a documentary by Stan Fox and Jamie Reid entitled What Happened Last Summer about Kitsilano's hippie scene;
Transpo: Vancouver 1986, a three-channel installation by Sean Starke that reflects on Expo 86 and Vancouver's transition from town into urban centre;
a film comprised of screen tests shot by Neil Wedman in 1970 and set to music by The Cure;
a retrospective of the work of animator Marv Newland, including Bambi Meets Godzilla (1969), considered one of the greatest cartoons of all time ("He was the first person I called because his work has such a nostalgic, yearning feeling");
poster art from the 1960s music scene by legendary illustrator Bob Masse and his contemporaries and more.
A container art show might seem like an odd choice for a street music festival, but given the event and the neighbourhood, it's perfectly logical, says Anselmi. "Khatsahlano has such an emphasis on local music and great British Columbian talent, and then Kitsilano has such a rich history as a place of counter cultural activity, and I think that those two things converged to inform this idea of working on a show that celebrated moments in Vancouver culture."
