Reviews

 Hailey McCloskey

Powell Street Festival

Powell Street Festival

The largest Japanese Canadian festival in the country celebrates 37 years through a variety of food, dance, performance, and ceremony

Written by Hailey McCloskey Tomomi Morimoto dances with ghost stories of Japanese lore. Performing at the Firehall Arts Centre, she begins with her back facing the audience. Some of the audience is privy to the sight of a mirrored mask she holds still by the clasp of her jaw. As she moves in fractions, we […]

 Ash Tanasiychuk

Annie Briard’s Wanderings @ Black & Yellow

Annie Briard’s Wanderings @ Black & Yellow

Interactive animation captures the attention & the mobile phones of gallery goers young and old

Words & Photos by Ash Tanasiychuk Video by Tara Flynn WANDERINGS: A big night in many ways: * Annie Briard‘s 1st solo show in Vancouver * Back Gallery Project‘s opening exhibition at their new location * Black & Yellow‘s 1st curated show at this new space There was a wonderfully large turnout for the opening […]

 Hailey McCloskey

Leaky Heaven’s der Wink @ Russian Hall

Leaky Heaven’s der Wink @ Russian Hall

Forging spatial architecture and negotiating its psyche

Words by Hailey McCloskey Water. No wait, trees. Actually, it’s light shining through water on the ground and trees are on the walls. I sit as an island in this multilayered sea of light: I don’t have the comfort of anonymity that being an audience member often provides. This is thrilling, not only for the […]

 Ash Tanasiychuk

Lauren Marsden & Mike Bourscheid @ Trench

Lauren Marsden & Mike Bourscheid @ Trench

Pair of performances draw on the elements of absurdity to challenge contexts of the contemporary art gallery

Photos by Ash Tanasiychuk On Thursday July 25 2013, a night of performance art took place at Trench Gallery in the Railtown district of Vancouver BC. VANDOCUMENT’s Ash Tanasiychuk was there to photograph the event. — From the event’s media release: Night of Performance art featuring: Die Wurst als Zeitmesser (The Wurst as a timer), […]

 Lucia Misch

LocoMotoArt @ Queen Elizabeth Park

LocoMotoArt @ Queen Elizabeth Park

Experiencing nature versus grace

Words by Lucia Misch Video by Leslie Kennah LocoMotoArt Collective’s show of “digital eco-art” in Queen Elizabeth Park began at 9pm on Sunday night, meaning that my bike ride from Commercial Drive to Vancouver’s most elevated—and perhaps most beautiful—spot occurred at the height of the evening’s glow. Turning my head toward downtown as I crossed Grandview […]

 Risa Yamaguchi

Whatever This Is It Won’t Last Long

Whatever This Is It Won’t Last Long

Space and object awareness @ UNIT/PITT Projects' new space

Words and Photos by Risa Yamaguchi  I went to the new space for UNIT/PITT Projects, 236 East Pender street, in Chinatown. I didn’t know they had moved; luckily, the new gallery is only a few blocks farther on the East side. Curated by Zebulon Zang, I was excited to see what was in store for Whatever […]

 Tara Flynn

Agente Costura’s Lisa Simpson @ grunt

Agente Costura’s Lisa Simpson @ grunt

Performance artist reinvents fashion through live 'upcycling' of participants' clothing

Filming and editing by Tara Flynn On July 5 2013, artist Lisa Simpson (aka Agente Costura) transformed grunt gallery in Vancouver BC during an all day (2-10pm) performance. VANDOCUMENT’s Tara Flynn spent a section of the afternoon recording the performance. This beautifully edited piece provides a glimpse into Agente Costura and her work. Agente Costura’s […]

 Ash Tanasiychuk

Monomania II @ Trench

Monomania II @ Trench

Packed house for the opening night of the latest bi-annual exhibition of emerging local talent

On July 4th, 2013, Trench Contemporary Art Gallery held its opening reception for Monomania II: Vancouver Emerging. The exhibition featured over 20 professional Vancouver-based artists from a variety of practises and mediums, including a music/performance piece by Mike Bourscheid entitled “Introducing Myself To The Canada Geese” in which he played an odd bagpipe-like contraption. The […]

 Celesse McCarthy

Music For Lamps + Music For Internet + Music For Furniture @ VIVO

Music For Lamps + Music For Internet + Music For Furniture @ VIVO

VIVO's Latest Video Bar immerses it’s audience in sound, light, and vibration

Words by Celesse McCarthy Photos by Dennis Ha and Elisa Ferrari   I’m sitting outside City Centre Motel on Main. VACANCY is illuminated, and across the street, Hot Art Wet City is electrified by voyeurs. I’m drinking cider. I see a woman wearing a uniform sauntering down the sidewalk, whirling her sweater – the sun […]