FREE | AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
Volume 53 | Number 2689
BACK TO SCHOOL Fresh options for fall
INCLUSION CONFUSION Pride remains political
STEF CHURA
Seizes the moment with Midnight
Mural Fest
Street-art activist Shepard Fairey paints a 20-storey ode to the Earth as part of Burrard Arts Foundation’s Surface Series
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AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 3
CONTENTS
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15 COVER
Shepard Fairey kicks off the Burrard Arts Foundation’s Surface Series at the Vancouver Mural Festival. By Janet Smith Cover photo by Jon Furlong; photo courtesy of the artist/ObeyGiant.com
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COMMENTARY
This year’s debates about Pride parade participants aren’t new—but something else has changed. By Craig Takeuchi
9
EDUCATION
There are plenty of options this autumn for anyone considering a career change or expanding their understanding of the world.
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25 FOOD
Yes Shef! long-table dinner in Vancouver celebrates women in food and wine. By Gail Johnson
27 MUSIC
After years of having no desire to be in the spotlight, Detroit’s Stef Chura finds a sense of peace on Midnight. By Mike Usinger
e Start Here 26 CANNABIS 28 CONFESSIONS 14 HOROSCOPES 26 I SAW YOU 23 MOVIE REVIEWS 8 NEWS 31 SAVAGE LOVE 22 THEATRE
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Vancouver’s News and Entertainment Weekly Volume 53 | Number 2689 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V6J 1W9 T: 604.730.7000 F: 604.730.7010 E: gs.info@straight.com straight.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING: T: 604.730.7020 F: 604.730.7012 E: sales@straight.com
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4 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
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Here’s what people are reading this week on Straight.com.
1 2 3 4 5
Conservative David Cavey refuses to walk in Pride parade. Photos: Justin Trudeau visits Fountainhead as Pride Week kicks off. New details released about two missing men from Surrey. Dr. Hedy Fry: Pride still matters in Vancouver— here’s why. Sometimes, serial killers team up to hunt for their victims.
GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight @GeorgiaStraight
The Georgia Straight is published every Thursday by the Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. Copies are distributed free every week throughout Vancouver, Burnaby, North and West Vancouver, New Westminster, and Richmond. International Standard Serial Number ISSN 0709-8995. Subscription rates in Canada $182.00/52 issues (includes GST), $92.00/26 issues (includes GST); United States $379.00/52 issues, $205.00/26 issues; foreign $715.00/52 issues, $365.00/26 issues. Contact 604-730-7087 if you wish to distribute free copies of the Georgia Straight at your place of business. Entire contents copyright © 2019 Vancouver Free Press, Best Of Vancouver, Bov And Golden Plates Are Trade-Marks Of Vancouver Free Press Publishing Corp. SUBMISSIONS The Straight accepts no responsibility for, and will not necessarily respond to, any submitted materials. All submissions should be addressed to contact@straight.com. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40009178, return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Georgia Straight, 1635 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C, V6J 1W9
Save money and the planet with Modo The Day Tripper lets members travel greater distances this summer at one low bundled rate
A
(This story is sponsored by Modo.)
nyone who cares about the environment knows there is increasing awareness of the impact of air travel on climate change. At this time of year, the discussion is particularly relevant as people embark on their summer vacations to farflung destinations. But, thankfully, as a result of numerous f ly-less campaigns, many are seeking out more conscious travel options— chiefly, those that don’t involve hopping on a plane. SUPPORTING LOCAL TOURISM MAKES GOOD DOLLARS AND SENSE
d VANCOUVERITES ARE faced with less of a challenge, because one of the best ways to get out of the city and into some fun is by car. Whether you’re looking for epic scenery, some of the world’s best hiking, wine tours (with a designated driver), or the valley’s best farmers markets, there’s something for everyone—and all just a car ride away. So forgo the plane and support local tourism. This summer, Modo is giving Vancouverites another reason to stay local and hit the road with its new Day Tripper. From now until September 30, members can book the vehicle of their choice for one low bundled rate, and travel as far as they want. Instead of being charged for time and distance, for as little as $90 per day, drivers can travel up to 250 kilometres, all in. And if the regular rates happen to be cheaper for any trip, you’ll always get the lower price—no math required.
P
POP U
Modo offers a wide variety of vehicles, including this large and loadable van as well as zero-emission cars. Photo by Ly Vu
ALL THE CONVENIENCE OF OWNING, WITHOUT THE HASSLE AND COSTS d FOR THOSE not familiar with round-trip carsharing, you pick up and drop the car off in the same location, so it’s like a short-term car rental only way more convenient and much cheaper. Modo members can enjoy all the benefits of a having their own car for vacation travel, but with the savings they’ll pocket, the sky’s the limit on their summer adventures. The B.C.–based carshare co-operative is well known for offering members sustainable ways to get around. And that’s especially important when you consider that Metro Vancouver is expected to welcome another one million residents during the next 20
years, which will translate into an additional 700,000 privately owned cars, at today’s rate of vehicle ownership. Choosing Modo’s round-trip service reduces GHG emissions by up to 50 percent, and one in five of the vehicles available are EV or hybrid. Modo is also the first and only carshare to add hydrogen-powered vehicles to its fleet. But round-trip carsharing isn’t just better for the planet; it is also more economical. It costs the average Canadian driver between $8,600 and $13,000 per year to own and operate a vehicle—a hefty sum to add to the cost of Vancouver living—especially for an asset that sits idle 95 percent of the time. By comparison, Modo members pay about $700 annually to use the service in addition to cycling and transit,
without having to worry about the increasing costs of gas, insurance, or unexpected repairs. The Day Tripper includes all the usual Modo benefits like gas, insurance, 24-hour support, free two-hour parking at the meters across Vancouver (new since July 24), and unlimited stop-over free parking in the city’s resident-only zones. And with $5-million third-party liability insurance included, members can rest assured that they are well-covered. THE RIGHT VEHICLE EVERY TIME FOR EVERY TRIP d EVEN IF YOU do have a car of your own, it might not match up to your adventurous travel plans. With Modo, you have access to more than 700 vehicles across the Lower
Mainland, Squamish, Vancouver Island, and the Okanagan—everything from pickup trucks and SUVs to passenger and cargo vans. That means you can select the vehicle that’s most suitable for your trip, whether you’re taking a romantic drive to Whistler or you’re taking friends off the beaten track to a secret lake. Ly Vu, Modo member and ambassador, recently took advantage of the Day Tripper to attend the Burn in the Forest Festival at Snug Lake on July 19 and 20. “It’s festival season,” Vu says. “The Kia Sedona was the perfect large and loadable vehicle for our four-day trip, with loads of hauling capacity for all our stuff and five humans.” Modo allows members to make bookings up to a year in advance via the website, app, or by phone. But for those who like to live in the moment, you can also book on the spot. So even if you have your vacation planned, there’s still plenty of time to fit in a few impromptu weekend trips before the summer is out. And to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck, take advantage of the Day Tripper before the end of September. Now all that’s left for you to decide is where Modo will take you. “The Day Tripper package, with 250 kilometres per day bundled in, saved us a ton of money,” Vu says. “And with four Modo members on board, it was easy to switch drivers anytime we needed a break. We’re already planning our next Day Tripper adventure!” g If you’re not already a Modo member, you can join today and get day trippin’. Use the promo code STRAIGHTTRIPPER at modo. coop/ to get $50 in free drive time. Learn more about how carsharing can work for you and your next road adventure at modo. coop/day-tripper/.
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AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 5
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6 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
PRIDE
Parade remains touchstone for debate
F
by Craig Takeuchi
rom individuals and organizations to political parties and corporations, there’s no shortage of those wanting to be in the Vancouver Pride parade—a far cry from the event’s nascent years four decades ago. And much attention has been focused on recent decisions about exclusions from the parade. For instance, outcry arose when Black Lives Matter (BLM) Vancouver, in solidarity with other BLM chapters in North America, first requested limitations on the Vancouver Police Department’s participation in 2016 to draw attention to ongoing issues about policing and racism. Similarly, arguments developed after both UBC and the Vancouver Public Library were barred from this year’s parade, which takes place on Sunday (August 4), because these institutions permitted speakers whom the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) deems transphobic to hold events at their venues. Debates about controversial participants aren’t anything new. Numerous examples from the past exist, including Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (due to the term Israeli apartheid) in 2010 and Foreskin Pride (due to full frontal nudity) in 2013. In 2015, the B.C. Liberal party opted not to march in that year’s parade because the political entity wouldn’t sign the mandatory Trans Equality Now pledge to support legislation protecting transgender people from discrimination; the B.C. Liberals argued that the B.C. Human Rights Code covered transgender people. Even the Georgia Straight got kicked out back in 2007 after a cover story called Pride Incorporated, which examined corporate sponsorship of Vancouver Pride. Final approval came too late for staff to prepare. That all said, what has changed
The Pride parade has evolved into a citywide focal point. Photo by Craig Takeuchi
is audiences and media attention. At one point in its history, some participants opted to march with paper bags over their heads to hide their identities in order to avoid discrimination; straight people wouldn’t associate themselves with the event; and news coverage remained limited. But what was once a community event has partied its way to exponential growth to become an annual citywide focal point. Accordingly, debates that formerly existed mainly within LGBT communities and media have now become amplified and integrated into the mainstream, involving numerous onlookers and critics who may have a different understanding of and relationship to the politics involved. What’s also important to keep in mind is that the LGBT community isn’t just one community. As the acronym itself indicates, it encompasses numerous identities, groups, and communities, each with their own concerns and priorities. The lack of consensus as to which variation of “LGBT” to use and the numerous Jumble-style variations that continue to emerge illustrate the extent of the diversity. Such complexity also points to a question about inclusivity: how do
you define and maintain a sociopolitical movement and community that aims to include everyone while accommodating various (even antithetical) needs or objectives? It’s an issue that’s relevant to organizations and even nations like Canada due to heightened awareness of and interest in inclusion issues. As a microcosm of society, the issues the Pride parade is facing are far from clearcut. Such is the nature of breaking new ground: mistakes and disputes, criticism and confusion all come with the territory. What will be essential are perseverance and innovative thinking while working toward solutions instead of fault-finding or blame. What could devolve into a tug-of-war power struggle between parties can instead become a model for how to forge new ways to accommodate intersectionality, simultaneity, multiplicity, and adaptability. The ideal symbolized by the rainbow flag—the various colours shining together in harmony—may never be achieved, but what may be important to recognize is that perhaps that’s what Pride is: not an end product but a process that will remain forever in motion. g
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@DERMAPURECLINICS AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 7
NEWS
Holborn applies for community facility
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by Carlito Pablo
ere’s another installment in the long-delayed redevelopment of what was once the oldest social-housing site in Vancouver. The developer of Little Mountain has moved to deliver a “major community hub” on the 6.2hectare property east of Queen Elizabeth Park. Holborn Properties Ltd. has applied to construct a sixstorey building that will host a new neighbourhood house and childdaycare facility. From its origins as a multifamily residential site, Little Mountain is envisioned to become a mixed-use neighbourhood, and this is a major component of the plan. The neighbourhood house and child-care centre will be on the first two floors of the building. Above these will be social-housing units. The proposed development at 150 East 36th Avenue also includes a community public plaza. According to a design-rationale document submitted by Holborn and its design company, Stantec, to the city: “A new plaza is planned in
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A neighbourhood house could be built on the former Little Mountain housing site.
front of the neighbourhood house and it is expected to be a place for people to congregate and socialize.” After construction, the building’s ownership will be transferred to the City of Vancouver. A city staff report to council in 2016 stated that the developer will provide the building to the city “in ‘turn-key’ condition, fully finished and equipped”. The report noted that the building was estimated to cost $26.2 million. “If the value of the construction and finishing of the building exceeds $26,200,000, the applicant will be required to provide any additional funding,” according to the report. The neighbourhood house will replace the aging Little Mountain Neighbourhood House on Main Street north of King Edward Avenue. The child-care facility will have 69 spaces; the social-housing component of the building will have 48 units. The new park will be maintained and operated by the city’s board of parks and recreation. “The need for a new and expanded Little Mountain Neighbourhood House and childcare were identified through an areawide amenity review as part of the policy
RICHMOND
planning process,” the 2016 staff report said. The report was prepared in connection with Holborn’s application to rezone the Little Mountain site, which council granted in 2016. Little Mountain was built by the federal government in 1954. It used to have row houses and walkup apartments and contained 224 social-housing units. The federal government eventually transferred Little Mountain to the B.C. provincial government. In 2008, Holborn signed a deal to purchase the property from the province; in 2009, demolition began. It took about five years after the demolition before the first socialhousing development in the neighbourhood was built and occupied in 2014. Another four years passed before Holborn filed an application in 2018 to develop a second building, also for social housing. Also last year, the city built temporary modular housing in Little Mountain. In February 2019, Holborn applied to develop an eight-storey mixed-use building with 126 condo units, the development’s first market-housing project so far. Holborn is anticipated to take several years to fully redevelop the former public-housing site. The company finished Trump International Hotel and Tower Vancouver ahead of Little Mountain. Holborn is supposed to develop a total of 14 residential and three mixed-use buildings for Little Mountain. The plan covers 1,573 new homes, including 282 socialhousing units. With its drawn-out redevelopment, Little Mountain has become an example of what can go wrong when governments dispose of social housing. g
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8 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
EDUCATION
It’s never too late to go back to school by Charlie Smith
S
tuck in a rut? Thinking about a career change? With a month before the postsecondary school year begins in September, there’s still time to consider renewing yourself through education and finding more rewarding ways to earn a living. Below, you can read about various programs that are available and learn about the newest university campus in Metro Vancouver. NATIVE EDUCATION COLLEGE CREATES HUGE IMPRESSION d WHEN JUSTIN Sidon, 30, was growing up in the Fraser Valley, he didn’t feel that public education was that relevant to his life. Even though he’s a member of the Matsqui First Nation, which is part of the Stó:lō Nation Tribal Council, he wasn’t exposed to Indigenous culture or traditions in schools he attended in Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and Aldergrove. “I learned very little—or anything—to do with our history in our schools,” Sidon told the Straight by phone. “There were no cultural aspects to the community schools that I grew up in and went to as a child or in high school.” Because school was relatively meaningless, he dropped out in Grade 8 to make some money. Sidon spent the next 14 years in a range of occupations. He was employed as labourer, tree planter, fish-wheel technician, and warehouse worker. He worked for five years in a shakeand-shingle mill. He also earned a living in construction. During this period, Sidon always felt in the back of his mind that he should eventually return to school. But it only happened as a result of
At Native Education College, Justin Sidon realized that school is far more meaningful when teachers respect Indigenous history.
a clever move by one of his elders in December 2017. “He just asked me if I wanted to go drumming and singing with him,” Sidon recalled. “Going back to school wasn’t even on my mind at the time. He didn’t even tell me where he was going. I didn’t even ask. I just jumped in his truck and said, ‘Let’s go.’ ” The elder took him to Native Education College, which was founded in Vancouver by Ray Collins in 1967. A private college operated and controlled by B.C. First Nations, it specializes in culturally relevant education for Indigenous learners. It includes a longhouse building with a totem pole carved by Norman Tait. After Sidon arrived in the longhouse for a meet-and-greet session with his
elder, he learned that it would be possible to attend the school for adult upgrading to earn the equivalent of a Dogwood certificate. That would enable him to move on to postsecondary education. Sidon said he found the school’s positive energy immensely appealing. “It’s like a family vibe. There is a lot of attention and a lot of compassion and a lot of patience. It kind of reminded me of being in the band office.” At first, he lacked confidence because he had been away from formal education for so many years. But he has done exceptionally well and became a member of the student council. Sidon is now in his fourth and final semester and credits caring and considerate faculty members
for his success. This fall, he’s planning to return to Native Education College as a student in the ninemonth Indigenous Land Stewardship certificate program. “We’ll learn how to manage land and its resources, the conservation and protection of the land, and sustainability,” he said. Running from September to May, the program has eight courses, including ones called Climate Change Adaptation, Indigenous Environmental Knowledge, and Contemporary Issues in Indigenous Land Stewardship. There is also a course in leadership and program management, as well as one on Indigenous governance, law, and the environment. “My dream is to gain the tools to
go back to my community, Matsqui First Nation, and help them develop and grow in a good way,” Sidon said. “Just like any community of people, they’re trying to evolve and grow. This land stewardship will be an asset to that—and also, I want to study business.” That’s not the end of his ambitions. Sidon would also like to learn a lot more Halq’emélem, which is the language of the Stó:lō people. And he hopes to share what he learns about Indigenous land stewardship with other First Nations in the Fraser Valley. Native Education College offers certificate programs in Indigenous business, Aboriginal tourism, and office administration. It’s also possible to obtain a diploma from the college in Aboriginal tourism management. In addition, there are a variety of health-sciences certificate programs and transfer courses. In the humanities and social sciences, there are several certificate and diploma programs. While attending the college, Sidon started to become far more interested in Indigenous spiritual traditions. He regularly attends a sweat lodge and has participated in sundance ceremonies. He has also gone on vision quests, in which he fasts for four days and four nights in the mountains near Lillooet. Sidon, father of a nine-year-old boy, expressed much appreciation for how elders associated with Native Education College have helped him reconnect to his roots. “I’ve seen how much good it did for me,” Sidon said. “Then I realized how much I want to pass this on to my son.” As the interview wound down, he mentioned that Native Education see next page
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AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 9
MAKE YOUR
MOVE
Metro Vancouver’s newest university campus, CapU Lonsdale, will open in the Shipyards development.
from previous page
College has also exposed him to Indigenous writers, journalists, and artists. As a result, he’s become a big fan of Indigenous author Richard Wagamese, who died at his home in Kamloops in 2017. “He’s great,” Sidon said. “I’m out looking for more of his books.” CAPILANO’S LONSDALE CAMPUS UNCLASSES THE CLASSROOM
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Photo © Tony Westman
d CAPILANO UNIVERSITY, a.k.a. CapU, is about to embark on one of its most exciting initiatives in its 51-year history. This fall term, it will open its new campus, CapU Lonsdale, in the Shipyards development near Lonsdale Quay. It’s in a bustling neighbourhood with plenty of restaurants and cultural offerings—and easy access to transit, including the SeaBus from downtown Vancouver. The new campus will enable CapU to deliver academic programming—including continuing studies and executive education—currently offered at its main campus on Purcell Way or dispersed across the North Shore and Vancouver. “We have a term that we’re beginning to use: it’s called ‘unclassing the classroom’,” CapU president Paul Dangerfield told the Straight by phone. “It’s this ability for us to be in communities and create real-world experiences for our students.” When it opens this September, CapU Lonsdale will have 11,500 square feet and be able to accommodate up to 400 students. Dangerfield said that one objective is to attract more mature students to a wide range of offerings, including publicadministration programs for municipal governments, as well as legal and paralegal studies. “It will be for students who are looking for upgrading their education and retraining,” he added. In addition, CapU plans to expand its programming for the Indigenous community at the Shipyards because the North Shore is traditional territory of the Squamish and TsleilWaututh First Nations. The university also hopes to provide some arts and science programming and language education at CapU Lonsdale. Dangerfield noted that the new campus’s “f lexible, dynamic spaces” and open classrooms offer a chance to show off the university’s artistic programming and host on-site performances. The building features a 20-metre balcony with outstanding views across the water to Vancouver. “I joke that two years from now, I may be looking for more space,” Dangerfield said.
He credited two former CapU presidents, Greg Lee and Kris Bulcroft, for helping to lay the groundwork for this project, which was many years in the making. “If you go back as far as 2006-07, when I was the dean of business here, I even talked to the new mayor at the time, Darrell Mussatto, about looking at the option to get a presence down there,” Dangerfield said. He recalled recently bumping into Mussatto, now the former mayor of the City of North Vancouver, and they were trying to remember who planted the seed first. Mussatto’s successor, Linda Buchanan, has also been a huge supporter of the new campus near Lonsdale Quay. In the spring, Dangerfield signed a memorandum of understanding with Buchanan for CapU and the local government to embark on a CityStudio pilot project. CityStudio exists in various cities, including at SFU Vancouver, to bring students, faculty, and the community together to devise innovative solutions to improve communities. “That [MOU] gives us an opportunity to run those kinds of initiatives here,” Dangerfield said. CapU has come a long way in the past 51 years, but that has not generated a sense of complacency. In fact, the university is in the midst of a long-term planning exercise called Envisioning 2030, which has involved seeking community feedback on its future direction. Dangerfield said that people want CapU to be a convenor of education and knowledge and play a role in bringing groups together. And the Shipyards campus offers a hub to host conversations with community and thought leaders to discuss everything from Indigenization of communities to transportation, trade, and environmental issues. He noted that all three North Shore mayors, the chambers of commerce, and the school boards are onboard with the university playing this role. The opening of a Lower Lonsdale campus will also free up space at the main campus to offer more bachelor’s degrees in the future. “We have plans to expand quite a few of our programming areas in the next three to four years—everything from animation to our science programs, arts programs, health programs, and human kinetics,” Dangerfield said. “We have a whole suite of programs that we’re converting from diplomas to degrees. All of those will go from two-year to fouryear programs.”
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10 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
NYIT-Vancouver offers the only graduate program in the city that’s focused entirely on cybersecurity.
NYIT-VANCOUVER CYBERSECURITY GRAD FOCUSES ON THE CLOUD d IT PAYS TO be able to prevent data breaches and to investigate violations when they occur. According to the recruitment firm Randstad Canada, the average starting salary in this country for a security analyst is in the mid $60,000s; those with more experience can reach six-figure salaries—and these types of jobs are available in all major city centres in Canada. “Your employer relies on your expertise to secure highly sensitive data, such as customer information, employee data, business networks and other proprietary information,� the Randstad Canada website says. South of the border, the median annual wage for information security analysts was US$98,350 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In B.C., the only master of science degree in information, network, and computer security is offered at NYIT Vancouver. A recent graduate of the NYIT program in cybersecurity, Philip Jaiyeola, is an associate cloud-operations engineer at Cloudreach, which helps organizations take advantage of the public cloud. Prior to immigrating to Canada to attend the school, he worked in the banking sector. “Toward the end of my program at NYIT, I was still thinking about what to major in,� Jaiyeola told the Straight by phone. “So that’s when I got into the use of the cloud and cloud security. That’s what made me go for this job.� His favourite course at NYIT was cryptography, which involves using codes to protect information and communications. He said it
helped him learn how to avoid computer attack and how to bounce back after being targeted. Jaiyeola also took a course on computer forensics, which taught him how to gather evidence from crimes committed with computers. “There’s always going to be evidence, and there’s always going to be a way to get it back,� he insisted. “If you’re going to go into forensics, you have to be very detailed and look for every piece of information you can get.� His capstone project involved looking at the impact of artificial intelligence on cybersecurity. For now, he has no intention to return to banking, saying he’s going to continue with his career in cloud security. Jaiyeola had one piece of advice for anyone who enrolls in a cybersecurity program: do your own personal research in addition to absorbing what you’re taught in classrooms. That’s because there’s so much to learn in this rapidly evolving field. He began at NYIT’s original downtown campus but finished his program at the new campus in the Broadway Tech Centre, where the cybersecurity program is now based. “The school has come a long way, judging from when I started and when I left,� Jaiyeola said. “And from what I hear from my colleagues who are still there, it’s definitely going to be a program that’s going to benefit a lot of people looking at going to the school.� VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE WILL TRAIN GLADUE REPORT WRITERS d AT LAST year’s B.C. Justice Summit, there was a great deal of discussion about the legal system’s inability to meet the requirements of a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision in 1999 dealing with Indigenous people. In R. v. Gladue, the court ruled that judges must consider “unique systemic or background factors� that may have resulted in an Aboriginal person coming in contact with the justice system. According to the proceedings from the B.C. Justice Summit, there are a few hundred Gladue reports being prepared for the courts every year. But the participants felt that there need to be thousands completed to meet the requirements of the Gladue ruling. Vancouver Community College’s David Wells, vice president academic and applied research, has a long-standing interest in Indigenous legal issues and attended the B.C. Justice Summit. He had already been working on a pilot
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OPENING FALL 2019 C A PI L A N O U.C A /LO N S DA LE
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AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 11
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program with the consulting firm IndiGenius & Associates to teach people how to write Gladue reports. It was launched last year with about a dozen students. A VCC certificate program in Gladue reports—designed for law students, lawyers, advocates, judges, Indigenous court workers, and others with an interest in this topic—is scheduled for an early-2020 launch. According to Wells, there will be about six classes and 135 hours of training. Students will learn about: the impact of colonization; conducting interviews with people who have experienced trauma; and capturing a person’s “sacred story”, which includes discovering experiences that shaped them since childhood. “I think the benefit of the summit was to reinforce not only the need for trained Gladue writers but the opportunity to provide a really structured training program that has quality control,” Wells said. “Ideally, we can move toward some sort of national standard.” That would help people assess the qualifications of anyone who holds themselves out to be a writer of Gladue reports. “It’s commonly used as a presentence report,” Wells explained, adding that it can also be helpful in setting pretrial conditions. Wells added that a Gladue report might delve into the consequences of the trauma experienced in residential schools for family members and relationships within the community. A judge could then take this into account in setting pretrial conditions or in laying out a suitable resolution, which might involve restorative justice. “The hope is to build on our collaborations with other institutions and look to see where we can create transferable
Gladue Writers are in Demand Learn how to tell the sacred stories of Indigenous people facing court for bail or sentencing hearings in VCC’s new part-time Gladue Report Writing Certificate program. Apply now for October.
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12 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
The barriers to entry have dropped dramatically for documentary filmmakers, but they still need a whole suite of skills to succeed.
Former VCC students Leah Patitucci and Clarissa Roque will go to the WorldSkills Competition after capturing gold medals in Halifax.
credits—or create this as part of a larger educational journey its documentary certificate program. for the writers,” Wells said. “It’s an intensive eight-month immersion in the art and production of documentary cinema,” Silberman explained. “And during EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY HELPS STUDENTS LEARN those eight months, students develop the storytelling skills needed TO LOVE INTERACTION DESIGN to produce, write, direct, shoot, edit, and promote their nonfiction content at what we call an ‘emerging professional’ level.” d WHEN UBC STUDENT Jenn Gechen decided that she wantThere are courses covering business writing, documentary ed to top off her education with a better understanding of UI/ equipment in the field, sound recording, audio and video postUX design, she started researching different schools. UI/UX production, storytelling, and directing. The program runs refers to user interface and user experience, and she said that from September to April. at that time it wasn’t being offered on the Point Grey campus. “We’re dealing with truth and reality—with real people and real “Ultimately, I ended up going with Emily Carr because there lives,” Silberman said. “There are a lot of ethical considerations was a lot of time for personal exploration,” Gechen told the that go into making a documentary, because we are representing Straight by phone. truth. We are representing true stories. We have to be concerned She enrolled in its six-month certificate program in inter- about these things and act in a way that’s ethical and honest.” action design, attending classes for three hours a day. Then she Technological innovations may have made it easier to capwas free afterward to read whatever she wanted. “What I really ture images, but that’s not the only consideration, according to liked about the program is that it had a lot of variety,” Gechen Silberman. “We teach professional practice.” said. “It wasn’t just necessarily just the UX program; it offered During the eight months, students will make up to 18 short a lot of knowledge in visual design.” films, including two capstone projects. In the first term, they That multidisciplinary approach dovetailed well with her create a five-minute documentary. UBC studies in cognitive systems, which incorporate psychol“They research it, they direct it, they write it, and they edit ogy, linguistics, computer science, and philosophy. it themselves,” Silberman said. “They bring all those skills According to Jon Kolko, author of Thoughts on Interaction together, and another student serves as the cinematographer or Design, this discipline “is the creation of a dialogue between a the sound recorder.” person and a product, system, or service”. By the end of the second term, in April, students are re“This dialogue is both physical and emotional in nature and quired to complete a 10-minute documentary. According to is manifested in the interplay between form, function, and Silberman, they can go anywhere in the world to shoot it. These technology as experienced over time,” he wrote. final projects are screened at Capilano University’s Nat and The Emily Carr University of Art + Design website states Flora Bosa Centre for Film and Animation. that interaction design encompasses human-computer interOne of the program’s first graduates was Dianne Whelan action, software design, graphic communication, and user- (Basecamp: 40 Days on Everest and This Land). She’s travelling centred design, among other areas. The certificate program the world’s longest trail solo as she creates her new featureprepares students to obtain entry-level jobs in this field. length documentary, 500 Days in the Wild. Gechen lavished praise on the faculty, saying that she’s still A more recent grad, Nick Quenville, is a cinematographer occasionally in contact with some instructors even though she and filmmaker and was the sole director on the third season completed the program in October. of Wild Bear Rescue. It’s a show on the Animal Planet channel “They’re all really fantastic,” she said. “They are definitely about the rehabilitation of orphaned wildlife, including grizzly super supportive of their students and you can definitely lean and black bears, at a centre in Smithers, B.C. on them whenever you feel unsure or unclear about design as a Another grad, Markus Pukonen, is travelling the world for whole or with whatever you are doing.” five years with no motorized transport, documenting this on Gechen was also impressed by the smaller class sizes. “All his Routes of Change vlog. He has already surpassed 35,000 the cohorts range from 13 to 16 people, which is kind of nice kilometres via walking, cycling, paddling, sailing, pogo-stickbecause you get a lot of face time with instructors.” ing, and any other way to move that doesn’t involve the producIn the first term, there are courses on design fundamentals, tion of greenhouse gases. designing for the web, motion graphics, web and portfolio deSilberman is one of several working independent filmmakers velopment, design research and management, and program- who teach in the documentary certificate program. This means ming for interactivity. The second term focuses a great deal of that instructors are familiar with current film-funding sources attention on mobile applications and web development. because they’re dealing with this issue with their own films. “I’ve been doing a lot of visual design and a lot of product Over the years, many students have come from Metro Vandesign,” Gechen said. “It provided me with pretty much every- couver and across Canada. But as the program’s reputation has thing I know about design now.” grown, it has also attracted international students from a long list Because she spent a fair amount of time outside of school of countries, as well as mature students hoping to create films. reading about design, she didn’t find the learning curve to be “We’ve had doctors, lawyers, and the former head of an that steep. According to Gechen, the first term had more lec- RCMP SWAT team,” Silberman revealed. ture-oriented courses to provide students with an understandHe added that this diversity of students creates an ideal ening of the foundations of design. In the second term, students vironment for future filmmakers because documentaries are started practising what they had learned. about real life. “You were given a lot of free time to do whatever you want, “If you have a classroom, 20 students with a whole range with the supervision of your professor,” she said. of different cultural and life experiences, it just enriches that As someone with a keen interest in design, Gechen really learning experience,” Silberman said. enjoyed attending the new Emily Carr University of Art + DeOn September 19, the CapU documentary certificate prosign campus just off Great Northern Way. She described it as gram and the DOXA Documentary Film Festival are copre“gorgeous”. senting a Best of the Fest short program in the Bosa Centre “It was actually surprising for me because I thought at the theatre. This will mark the launch of a monthly series of docutime I applied that all the classes would be at the old campus on mentary screenings. Granville Island.” When asked about her career goals, Gechen replied that VANCOUVER COMMUNITY COLLEGE GRADUATES she’s very focused on product design and interaction design. WILL GO FOR GOLD AT WORLDSKILLS COMPETITION “My next step is becoming a designer working in a fulltime position after I graduate—hopefully, moving on to d VANCOUVER COMMUNITY College baking and pastry-arts more of a management role or product-design lead,” she said. graduate Clarissa Roque did something amazing in May at the 2019 Skills Canada National Competition in Halifax. She created When might that occur? “In maybe five to 10 years’ time.” seven different pastries over a 14-hour period in two days, wowing the judges and winning a gold medal in her category. BECOME A FILMMAKER WITH CAPILANO This has enabled her to advance to the WorldSkills CompetiUNIVERSITY’S DOCUMENTARY CERTIFICATE tion in August in Kazan, Russia. But that wasn’t the only VCC–related accomplishment in d JACK SILBERMAN is an old hand at making documentaries. Over his career, dating back almost three decades, he has Halifax. One of its recent culinary-arts grads, Leah Patitucci, directed and/or written more than 45 nonfiction films and won also won a gold medal in her category. many awards. This means that for the first time, one school—Vancouver “Back in the ’80s, when we would go off to India to make a Community College—has Canadian bragging rights in both of documentary, we would have 400 to 500 pounds of equipment,” these categories for the upcoming global event. It takes place every Silberman recalled in an interview with the Straight. “Just the two years and attracts competitors from more than 60 countries. camera, tripod, and accessories would cost us $150,000. And VCC’s dean of hospitality, food studies and applied business, today, you can…actually make a great documentary with the Dennis Innes, told the Straight by phone that the success of the cellphone you have in your pocket.” students doesn’t reflect only the quality of the culinary and bakWhile the barriers to entry have diminished, filmmakers ing and pastry-arts programs. It’s also a testament to the comstill need sufficient research and technical skills—and a sense of mitment and dedication of the two former VCC students. characters and locations—to create compelling documentaries. “It’s a lot of hard work,” Innes declared. “They really have That’s what Silberman and other faculty members in Capi- to want to do it.” see next page lano University’s School of Motion Picture Arts are instilling in
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Emily Carr University has established itself as a leader when it comes to educating students about interaction design.
He pointed out that Roque and Patitucci were both enrolled in highschool programs created in partnership with VCC. These programs provide an opportunity to earn academic and trades-training credits before going to college. “Then they came to study with us,” Innes said. Innes is on the board of Skills Canada B.C. and will be in Kazan for the WorldSkills Competition. But this is not the only chance for students and recent grads to demonstrate their mettle. According to Innes, they’ve competed for the national Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship and in the Culinary Olympics. “In both the culinary and baking programs, we have our own internal top-student competition,” he added. VCC has the largest culinary arts and baking and pastry-arts programs in the province. Because it receives funding from Industry Training Authority B.C., VCC is more affordable for students than other schools that don’t have this affiliation. There are two streams in the baking and pastry-arts program. In one, students learn about artisan baking (including breads), and in the other the focus is on pastry arts. There’s an opportunity to obtain Red Seal certification through an apprenticeship. In the culinary-arts program, students learn foundational skills before advancing to learn how to become a professional cook. This program also offers an opportunity to become a Red Seal–certified chef. Innes emphasized that students receive real-world experience on campus with up-to-date equipment in five baking labs and 12 kitchens. All faculty members have Red Seal certification and industry experience. And students’ products are sold in a cafeteria and finedining restaurant, providing them
with consumer feedback. “That’s really one of the strengths of our program, the combination of skills versus production, because we need a balance of both,” Innes said. “Students come out ready to work.” SHINOBI SCHOOL OF COMPUTER GRAPHICS TURNS STUDENTS INTO ANIMATORS d THERE’S A REASON why film companies around the world are so keen to include animation and visual effects in their productions. And it’s not simply to save money, according to the director and head mentor at the Richmond-based Shinobi School of Computer Graphics. In a phone interview with the Straight, Magic Eslami explained that 10 years ago he watched a car being exploded on a movie set not far from the foot of Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver. “It was a huge, huge process, done very early in the morning,” the veteran animator recalled. “They really tried to make it safe.” Nowadays, this type of scene can be created through computer graphics. It’s less expensive for filmmakers, and it also eliminates the chance of cast or crew members becoming accident victims. “You can do things with computer graphics that you cannot really do in real time or in a live-action scene,” Eslami said. That’s one reason why this industry is booming in the Lower Mainland. According to the Vancouver Economic Commission, there are more than 60 local visual-effects and animation studios. It means Vancouver has the largest cluster of such companies, both domestic and foreign, in the world. Eslami emphasized that computer graphics have applications that go
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far beyond the movie industry. “It’s gaming. It’s visualization of architecture. Even what we used to call industrial design is relying on computers,” he said. “It’s growing every day.” The Shinobi School of Computer Graphics offers one-year diploma programs. Eslami is particularly proud of the school’s small classes, which have a maximum of 10 students. All the instruction is face to face and Shinobi’s underlying philosophy is that students’ creativity needs to be unleashed. “Our main program is computeranimation modelling, which covers almost everything we do,” Eslami said. “We start from the basics of production of a movie in 3-D, all the way from modelling to texturing, lighting, rigging, and animation all the way to the rendering process, which is when the final images go into a sequence.” In addition, students learn about preproduction, production, and postproduction. The program is intense, and Eslami acknowledged that students face a steep learning curve in the beginning. But once they see how they can channel their creativity into results, they become very excited. Eslami has been teaching animation for 19 years, and the Shinobi School of Computer Graphics was founded in 2014. Over the years, his students have gone on to work on blockbusters such as Avatar, Madagascar, and Ice Age. Some who enrolled had an engineering background, he said, whereas others were artists or came from different fields altogether. Local residents who are accepted are eligible for B.C. student loans, and the Shinobi School of Computer Graphics meets B.C.’s Private Training Institutions Branch’s qualityassurance standards. As for the institution’s name, it’s the Japanese word for “male ninja”. g
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AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 13
HOROSCOPE
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by Rose Marcus
MORE SEA, MORE SKY, MORE TO DO.
ercury retrograde has just ended, but it will continue through the emotional sign of Cancer to the middle of August. Home base, family, comfort zones, safety, and security continue to be the primary focus. The past (revisiting it, getting past it) does too. Thanks to a boost from a super new moon and Venus and Mars in Leo, August opens with good promise. Overall and despite all, better opportunity is on the horizon, especially when it comes to pleasure-seeking, pumping up on the season’s best offers, and (most importantly) figuring out what happiness means to you. The next two weeks are an excellent time to travel, to take a break or a vacation, to get married, to celebrate a special occasion or milestone, and to love the one you are with. Venus and Mars in Leo boost prospects in the creative and romance departments. Does your work cater to the season? You’ll be happy to know that the stars set a lucrative backdrop for most of the month ahead. The Libra moon can launch the new week on a social or spending note. Monday/Tuesday can also swing the attention or momentum. There can be something to sort out or surpass. To the plus or minus, know the stars are on an escalationand-proliferation track as of midweek. Wednesday to Friday can be wonderfully mobilizing and fortuitous. Expect more of everything to stay on the increase through the middle of the month: we’ll see more people, politics, news, trends, and money on the move. On a more concerning note, these transits also coincide with the peak of wildfire season.
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ARIES
March 20–April 20
Mercury is fresh out of retrograde, but it will continue to keep you occupied with finishing touches and moving past the past for a couple more weeks. Family (perhaps one in particular) and home base consume you too. You can afford to take a little more time to regroup, but know that as of mid–next week, you’ll hit an upswing and opportunity track.
B
TAURUS
April 20–May 21
Friday lights a fresh spark. Next Wednesday/Thursday sets big wheels/opportunity in motion. Venus moves into high gear in live-more/ love-more Leo. Whether it is vacation time or the action is at home base or you have something special in the works, it is an ideal opportunity for making the most of it. Off with the old; on with the new and improved you!
Photos: Tara O’Grady Photography
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MOUNTAIN MUSIC SERIES EVERY FRIDAY 6-9 PM Mountain music is back! This year’s lineup features a variety of genres ranging from classic rock to world fusion. Enjoy a backyard inspired barbeque, breathtaking sunsets and music you will want to dance along to all night long.
C
GEMINI
D
CANCER
May 21–June 21
There’s nothing more rewarding than doing what you love and sharing good times with your favourite folk and/or special someone(s)! The next couple of weeks are set up for doing exactly that. The weekend is ideal for a top-up. On a plane or making the most of it in some other way, Wednesday through next Friday is as good as it gets! June 21–July 22
The end of the week could get you thinking and feeling along new lines. Try something or someone new on for size (i.e., the new you). Your stars set a ready improvement backdrop for the weekend. They hold ample opportunity for the week ahead, too. You could find yourself on the significant gain regarding a plan or project, finances, or a relationship matter.
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E
LEO
F
VIRGO
G
LIBRA
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SCORPIO
I
SAGITTARIUS
J
CAPRICORN
K
AQUARIUS
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PISCES
AUGUST 1 TO 7, 2019 July 22–August 23
Your stars now hit all systems-go. Celebrate; take a vacation; take on something or someone new; or take what you already have to the next level. Next Wednesday to Friday is ideal for travel, vacationing, performing, and taking a big step or leap of faith. Sun/Jupiter and Venus/ Jupiter can set you on the receiving end of something good. August 23–September 23
The next couple of days spring you/it free. Over this next week, Venus and the sun in Leo are all set to show you a good time—a better go of it, too. An instinct, flash of inspiration, or spur-of-the-moment opportunity is worth the follow-through. Tuesday onward, there’s more to do, to enjoy, and to gain. September 23–October 23
Friday/Saturday, the stars keep you well on the go. Something unplanned can deliver the goods. Sunday through next Friday, Jupiter, Venus, and the sun set you onto an abundance track. Indulge; enjoy. Travel or enjoy a staycation; play up the romance or just play. Spending or expense: it all adds up. Wednesday/ Thursday are optimal for exploring what’s out there. Try your luck! October 23–November 22
You might not get around to all of it, but what you do get to on Friday/Saturday should hit the feels-good category. Saturday/Sunday, chill out; take a load off. Wednesday to Friday is optimal for travel and pleasure or reward-seeking; stoke the fire, pump it up, take it on, test the waters. It’ll be easy to get it/yourself up and running. November 22–December 21
Now through the end of next week could see you take a big step forward. It’s an ideal time to sign a contract (actual or karmic) or to break free of one, to spend on a big-ticket purchase, or to increase your income. Special attention can come your way, perhaps from a special someone. Next Wednesday to Friday is especially opportune, even lucky. December 21–January 20
All in? Good. Mars and the rest of the Leo gang say “Go with all your heart.” Make it good for yourself and it’s good for all. The week ahead is ideal for play, reward, and romance. Tuesday to Friday set you up for gain, profit, big spending, or doing something extra special. January 20–February 18
Something or someone special claims added attention now. Building to a peak between the middle and end of next week, the sun, Venus, and Jupiter take the action up a great big notch. Friday/Saturday, take it as it comes; keep it simple. Sunday onward delivers more/pulls you into more or sees you spend more than you have planned. February 18–March 20
This next week is ideal for making the most of it. Take a break from the work or the worry and gift yourself more. Sun, Venus, and Jupiter set a great backdrop for pleasure, play, and loving it/them up. It’s also a great week to dive into a creative project or take full advantage of work and profit opportunities. g
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THE RED CROSS. www.redcross.ca
arts
Fairey expresses hope on grand scale by Janet Smith
H
ope helped make Shepard Fairey one of the biggest street artists on the planet, and hope is still what drives some of his most monumental work—even as he finds himself living in Donald Trump’s America. The South Carolina–born, Los Angeles–based artist already had a cult following when his red, white, and blue portrait of a stylized, stencilled Barack Obama went viral during the 2008 American presidential election campaign. Emblazoned with the word HOPE, it captured the optimism of what seems now like a long-lost era. The instantly iconic image remains the 49-year-old artist’s bestknown work. But is it still indicative of his mood? Yes, it turns out, as he’ll show with a major new 20-storey, environment-themed mural at Georgia and Burrard streets that he’s about to paint for the Vancouver Mural Festival and the Burrard Arts Foundation (BAF). Hope also drives the rest of his artworks as he does battle with the dividing forces of the current POTUS and the globe at large. “I’m motivated by a belief that actions matter and people are capable of being compassionate and not just selfish or greedy,” Fairey tells the Straight from his studio in L.A., where he’s just returned from projects in Paris, Grenoble, and Williamsburg. “I would be extremely demotivated if I didn’t have that hope or optimism.” Fairey admits he never seriously contemplated the possibility that Donald J. Trump could get elected in 2016. In the ensuing years, he’s used his high-profile art—everything from murals and gallery paintings to stickers and posters—to comment on and question Trump-era issues like migration, Black Lives Matter, and the Women’s March. The worries about climate change that have driven two huge murals in Paris, and now the equally enormous Earth Justice in Vancouver, also stem from Washington politics. “The left believes in science, the right doesn’t,” he says with a sardonic laugh. And now the prospect of a 2020 election looms large in the activist artist’s mind. Election Day 2016 was a kind of awakening for Fairey. “It felt like I was alerted to the fact that 50 percent of my neighbourhood might be serial killers,” he says. “All of my foundational principles I thought I could rely upon are in question now. I think people sometimes make bad decisions, but it was very terrifying to me. Democracy has to be coupled with people who believe in public service and the public good. I just dislike the idea that as a species we make progress and then we move backwards again.” WHAT MAY BE most fascinating about Fairey’s art is that while it acts as sharp social critique, it is neither heavy-handed nor partisan. Instead, through a sometimes collagelike layering of imagery and type, he refers as much to the language of advertising as to those of old-school stencilling and silk-screened punk-rock posters. It’s a style that first draws the viewer in, then prompts hard questions. One recent project uses the curlicue writing of the Coca-Cola logo to spell out “Crude Oil”; another series depicts culturally diverse faces from the Women’s March in the patriotic red, white, and blue of a political campaign poster. “The day after the inauguration, that series went viral almost to the same degree as the ‘Hope’ pieces,” says Fairey, who’s showing those images in Facing the Giant: 3 Decades of Dissent, an exhibition at BAF. “Those were three nonfamous people; they were meant to be archetypes. So I was
For this year’s Vancouver Mural Festival, American street-art star Shepard Fairey is planning to apply his punk-fuelled visual style to a towering 20-storey image meant to provoke thought about the growing climate crisis. Photo by Jon Furlong
really proud that they were embraced as symbols.” His is a visual language that makes him unique in the exciting generation of street artists that he’s a big part of (along with Britain’s shit-disturbing Banksy). And it’s one whose roots run deep into the rebellious spirit of skateboarding and punk-rock culture Fairey was drawn to as a teen, and still loves. It’s not overstating things to say that both are responsible for the person he is today. In a personal essay in the just-released book More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk, Fairey writes that the once-underground movements literally saved his life when he was attending a private prep school in Charleston in the ’80s. “I was miserable, mean, desperate, and about to blow,” he recalls. “Then I discovered skateboarding and its partner in visceral rebellion, punk rock. Contrary to the common belief that punk amplifies angry feelings and leads to aggressive and antisocial behaviour, it actually diffused those feelings in me, or at least channeled them in more constructive ways.” To summarize his approach, he points to the lyrics of the Clash’s “Clampdown”, the song being used right now in Democratic leadership candidate Beto O’Rourke’s campaign. “The lyrics are ‘Let fury have the hour, anger can be power/D’you know that you can use it,’ ” he quotes. “Some people that love skateboarding and punk rock, they sort of stick with a nihilism. And then there are other people who use it for an inspiration to say ‘I won’t be told the right way to think or act. I will analyze those decisions, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t take part in a broader conversation.’ “It’s what I call the inside-outside strategy: where the mainstream doesn’t give me an opportunity, I’ll work outside it,” he adds. “And that’s punk rock.” Inspired and fascinated by the strong DIY ethic preached by bands like Black Flag, Fairey committed himself to creating his own career path. “To make an analogy, I saw street art as a means of self-distribution bypassing the major labels,” he writes in More Fun in the New World. “In the case of my world, the major labels being the galleries.”
Where the mainstream doesn’t give me an opportunity, I’ll work outside it. And that’s punk rock. – Shepard Fairey
Fairey’s breakout project happened in 1989, when he was still a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. While there, he created a sticker showing the wrestler Andre the Giant with the words “Andre the Giant has a posse,” and stuck them all over the streets of New York City and beyond. Those morphed into stickers and posters bearing the commands “OBEY” and “OBEY GIANT,” with the aim of sparking curiosity as well as questioning propaganda and authority. The work grew into a mass streetart campaign, eventually lending its name to Fairey’s skater-cool OBEY Clothing (which will see a pop-up at the Chinatown store El Kartel during the fest). Apparel is just one of the ways Fairey now spreads his ideas. His artworks sit in collections everywhere
from the Smithsonian to the Museum of Modern Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum. He’s created album art for the Smashing Pumpkins, will.i.am, Flogging Molly, and Interpol. In what may be the ultimate sign of an underground artist hitting the mainstream, he’s even voiced himself in an episode of The Simpsons. WITH ALL THAT in mind, bringing Fairey’s work to this cityscape for the first time is an undeniable coup for both BAF (which is using it to kick off the Surface Series, a biennial large-scale mural project) and its collaborators at the Vancouver Mural Festival. “Over the past four years, Vancouver Mural Festival has created hundreds of murals across the region,” fest executive director David
Mural Fest TIP SHEET THE VANCOUVER MURAL FESTIVAL’S giant, 14-block
street party happens August 10, complete with live music, beer gardens, painting battles, and more. But the event kicks off August 1 and there are happenings every day leading up to the full-day blowout. Here are some of the highlights:
c VME GALLERY SHOW OPENING (August 1 at 14 West 7th Avenue) More than 90 fest alumni show their stuff in this exhibit and sale of foot-square work; it runs throughout the event. c PRIDE SPECIAL (August 4 at 7 1/2
Lane) Start the 12-hour indooroutdoor fiesta with an all-ages patio party and wrap it up with 19+ dancing at a nearby warehouse, presented by Public Disco, Bye Felicia, and Club NA VMF.
c SUPER SNAG X VMF (August 6 at the American) Live painting and mural battles take over the East Side haunt. c VMF OPEN AIR MOVIE THEATRE (August 9 at Jonathan Rogers Park) Remind yourself how entertaining street legend Banksy’s Exit Through the Gift Shop is while you watch it under the stars.
Vertesi tells the Straight by phone. “Though most of our muralists are local, international guest artists have been an amazing way to inspire our imaginations, connect us to the global community, and them to us. Shepard Fairey is one of the most important muralists of all time. We couldn’t be more excited to have such a massive and meaningful piece of public art created in collaboration with Vancouver Mural Festival 2019.” Launching next Thursday (August 8), Earth Justice will depict a stylized Earth being cradled by a pair of hands. Fairey points out that the colours are a bit different for him. The early L.A. punk records that reshaped his world— Black Flag’s Damaged, X’s Los Angeles, Fear’s The Record, and Youth Brigade’s Sound and Fury—leaned heavily on the colour combination of black and red. Admiring the visual power of that combo, as well as understanding it was cheaper to print in two colours, Fairey went on to use them in most of his artwork. Earth Justice will see him working in shades of blue that suggest water and air. Stretching over 10,000 square feet, it’s one of the largest murals Fairey has ever taken on, and its scale and profile offer unique opportunities. “The amazing thing about big murals is they are interacting with the entire city, changing the entire cityscape,” Fairey says. “It’s art that is accessible; people are encountering it in their daily lives and don’t have to go to a gallery or a museum to see it. “With monolithic art like this, usually we think of government signage or advertising, and those are meant to be one-way conversations,” he continues. “This is a message of treating the Earth gently and being an Earth champion.” The climate crisis has long weighed on this father of two, especially after he saw the 2006 alarm-bell documentary An Inconvenient Truth. But lately, he feels like humankind is at a tipping point. Talking about the issue, he gets pissed off not only at a president who can deny global warming, but at the way politicians prioritize other issues, like terrorism or automation, when humanity’s survival is at stake. Still, as ever, Fairey is not about to hit passersby over the head with his message in Earth Justice. “When people are assaulted by so many visual messages all day long, whether on their phones or on the streets, you need something that has enough simplicity and power to be quickly digestible and yet not be generic,” he explains. “I know people are stubborn. When people try to tell them what to do, they don’t want to do it. I’m one of them; I get that. I don’t like people telling me what to do. So what I’m thinking is ‘How can I do something that works in this space that is maybe imagery or symbols that will have some latitude for interpretation and will provoke thought or potential conversation?’ I always want people to think of hard topics but not avert their eyes because the imagery is so contentious.” Expect Fairey to address more of those hard topics, interwoven with hope, as the clock ticks ever closer to 2020. g The Vancouver Mural Festival runs from Thursday (August 1) to August 10. Facing the Giant: 3 Decades of Dissent runs at BAF from next Thursday (August 8) to September 28. Shepard Fairey hosts an OBEY Clothing pop-up at El Kartel and then performs a DJ set at Fortune Sound Club on Wednesday (August 7).
AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 15
ARTS
Mural-fest newcomers broaden their strokes
A challenge of massive proportions inspires new vision by Alexander Varty
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Carmen Chan may be setting aside the watercolours she used to make such images as Blue on Blue and Two Birds and Peony, but she’s keeping to traditional Chinese styles.
T
here’s more to assembling a giant public-art festival than simply picking one’s favourite artists, as Drew Young knows well. The founding artistic director of the annual Vancouver Mural Festival, who returns this year as lead curator, explains that his job is not only to choose the works that will be emblazoned on walls throughout the city, but to assemble the other curators who will also pick those works, give technical advice to artists who most likely have never worked on such a grand scale, and serve as both coach and cheerleader for the team as a whole. None of which seems to faze the affable Young, who somehow manages to do all this while maintaining his own art practice as a creator of large, vibrant abstract paintings. As the VMF, now in its fourth year, grows and matures, Young contends that it’s been important to scale up the curatorial process in much the same way that artists have to enlarge their images to mural size. “It’s super important to bring other people in from different perspectives, and it’s been really successful over the past two years that we’ve been bringing in guest curators,” he explains in a telephone interview from Olympic Village. “We’ve had all sorts of interesting characters that I would never have been able to uncover.” His responsibilities really come into focus once the selection of artists is complete. “I spend a great deal of time doing one-on-ones [with the artists], where we talk about ‘Dear so-and-so: I understand you do tiny little watercolours. How are you going to blow this up to a 100-foot wall?’ ” Young says. “Everyone’s a little bit nervous when they come from an art practice like digital media or small watercolour approaches—and my goal is to have them leave these meetings still feeling a little nervous, but also really excited, with an understanding of what our whole process is going to look like.”
18 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
CARMEN CHAN admits to being one of those watercolour artists, mildly alarmed by the Vancouver Mural Festival task she’s taken on: adding her artwork to a wall at 8 West 8th Street, near Mount Pleasant’s popular 33 Acres brewery. But, as she explains from her day job working in IT, her trepidation isn’t based on fear that her delicate floral paintings won’t transfer to mural size. “Luckily, my wall is only about a storey high, because I’m a little bit afraid of heights,” she says, laughing. The scale of the work is daunting, Chan continues, but she already has a clear idea of how to proceed. Working from her earlier painting of iris flowers in a garden, she’ll enlarge and simplify the image, bringing more of a graphic sensibility to her training in traditional Chinese
The murals really bring people out into the streets—all ages, all cultures, all sexes. – Carmen Chan
brush-painting styles. The work’s title, Saturday Kind of Love, plays on the name of a jazz and pop standard covered by everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Ella Fitzgerald—and on her weekly art lessons, which began after her family moved from Hong Kong to Vancouver when she was five. “The song, as you know, is about finding something that’s a long-lasting love, or kind of a passion—and I see art as that,” Chan explains. “So I’m dedicating this mural to all the years that I’ve painted at my art teacher’s house, and having this kind of ritual, every Saturday, to depend on. That really balances out my busy IT-project-management life.” Working in public will be much different than painting in the privacy of her home, Chan says, and she thinks that will embolden her art, just as the Vancouver Mural Festival has enlivened our city. “I can tell already that people are very engaged with murals in Vancouver because of the mural festival,” she says. “The murals really bring people out into the streets—all ages, all cultures, all sexes, because it is such a welcoming event for everybody.” PABLO ZAMUDIO puts it somewhat differently, but feels much the same. Another first-time Vancouver Mural Festival participant, he sees the event as a needed stimulant for a city that has a reputation for suppressing its more vibrant aspects. “Art is amazing,” he says, on the line from his painting studio in the back of his Chinatown “lifestyle shop and gallery”, El Kartel. “It’s an expression of who we are and what we feel, and about all the chaos and all the energy, that craziness, in which we live. So I think it’s beautiful. It’s the same thing when you go to the symphony or to a play or anything.” For Zamudio, who’ll paint one of his signature op-art abstractions in an alley behind the 100 block of West 4th Avenue, the festival is also an extension of his own interests—as an artist and as an arts advocate. Part of El Kartel’s mandate, he explains, is to host shows see next page
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AUGUST 17 • 7:30 & 10 PM
Artist and arts advocate Pablo Zamudio will adapt his signature op-art approach to an alleyway wall near West 4th Avenue.
by emerging artists—and to encourage them further, he doesn’t take any commission on works sold through the store. Meanwhile, his own painting practice was initially sparked by the vibrant graffiti and skateboard art he encountered as a kid. “When I was very little, I was really obsessed with all the graphics that involved skateboarding,” says Zamudio, who notes that in addition to painting and skateboarding he’s designed actionwear for companies such as Westbeach Apparel and Option Snowboards. “Then I had the opportunity to go to high school in Washington state, and there I had an art class. And that is where I started discovering, like, Miró and Picasso and Kandinsky, and that just blew my mind.” Chances are that Zamudio’s mural will blow a few minds too. He’s known for pulsing colour com-
So many people never take the chance to find their outlet and let that energy out. – Pablo Zamudio
binations and trippy, mandalalike geometric designs, and although he’s never worked on such a large scale, he’s eager to see how his designs will translate onto a wall-sized
canvas. It’s just as well, in fact, that his work won’t be visible from busy 4th Avenue. “You don’t want to distract people, right?” he says with a laugh. “You don’t want to cause an accident.” But if Zamudio’s public painting inspires others to pick up a brush— or a guitar, or a pen—he and the Vancouver Mural Festival will have done their work well. “Just creating, I think, is something that’s really important in our lives, and so many people, they never take the chance to find their outlet and, you know, let that energy out,” he says. “So when people see a beautiful mural or something like that, they might get inspired in other ways.” g
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Come see the whole picture This summer, discover the unexpected side of Whistler with a transformative visual journey through Canadian art
audainartmuseum.com Located between Day Lots 3 & 4 in the centre of Whistler Village Emily Carr (1871-1945) The Crazy Stair (The Crooked Staircase) (detail) c. 1928-30
AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 19
AUG 1-1O EVENTS CALENDAR
Events are free unless otherwise noted. Details & registration at vanmuralfest.ca/2O19events
VMF Year Four — Opening & Curator Talks Gallery show featuring 12"x12" original artwork by nearly 1OO local and alumni VMF artists, all available for sale. 6-1Opm | VMF Gallery: 14 West 7th Ave (7½ Lane)
Paint in the Park with Opus An evening making art and plein air painting in the park. Opus supplies the canvas panel!
MEC x VMF Run the Murals and Afterparty Guided 2km and 5km mural run tour followed by an after party. 7-11pm | VMF Gallery: 14 West 7th Ave (7½ Lane)
BAF Opening: Facing the Giant: 3 Decades of Dissent Opening reception for Shepard Fairey’s OBEY 3Oth anniversary Vancouver exhibition at BAF Gallery.
Sofar Vancouver x VMF Pop-Up Concert Intimate secret concert. Limited space. No admission after concert begins at 7:3O. 7pm-9:3Opm | VMF Gallery: 14 West 7th Ave (7½ Lane)
VMF Flash Tattoo: Aug 9-1O (prices vary by artist) 27 artists over 2 days = lightning speed permanent ink masterpieces on hundreds of people!
Pride Special: Public Disco x Bye Felicia x Club NA 12-hour Pride Party! Family-friendly afternoon, licenced 19+ evening. FREE before 5pm, $1O from 5-8pm, $2O after 8pm 2pm-2am | VMF Gallery: 14 West 7th Ave (7½ Lane)
VMF Fresh Air Cinema: Exit Through the Gift Shop Screening of Academy-Award nominated film by notorious British street artist, Banksy.
THRIVE Talks (Tickets $5) Speaker series – self-identifying female artists share their journeys. 7-83Opm | VMF Gallery: 14 West 7th Ave (7½ Lane)
Charlie Edmiston ‘Gestalt’ Exhibition Gallery exhibition opening reception at South Main Gallery.
Super Snag x VMF Live mural battle, plus 1O artists painting live with an opportunity to affordably own/win original art. 8pm-1am | The American: 926 Main Street SFU Public Square | Time Travellers’ Culture Jam Collaborate with our time travelling storytellers to create speculative time capsules for the future. 5:45-8pm | 248 East 11th Ave OBEY Pop Up Launch Party + Shepard Fairey DJ Set Exclusive OBEY launch & party. 6-8pm | El Kartel: 1O4 East Pender 1O:3O-late | Fortune Sound Club: 147 East Pender
AUGUST 1-1O ONGOING EVENTS:
6-9pm | Jonathan Rogers Park: 11O West 7th Ave
7-11pm | BAF Gallery: 258 East 1st Ave
12-8pm | 65 East 6th Ave
9-11pm | Jonathan Rogers Park: 11O West 7th Ave
6-9pm | 279 East 6th Ave
MOUNT PLEASANT STREET PARTY 12-7pm Main Street & surrounds New murals, live music, family zone, multiple beer gardens and more. A full day of free, family-friendly activities celebrating public art, culture and community! THE PARK SHOW ($4O+s/c at Ticketweb, Red Cat Records, & Little Sisters) Evening outdoor concert in the park featuring LP, BADBADNOTGOOD, iskwē, and My!Gay!Husband! 4-1Opm | Jonathan Rogers Park: 11O W 7th Ave
25+ ARTISTS PAINTING MURALS//GUIDED MURAL TOURS//VMF GALLERY OPEN 12-4PM DAILY
20 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
vanmuralfest.ca// @vanmuralfest
ARTS
Cemetery series shares unique sounds
The Taming of the Shrew Andrew McNee & Jennifer Lines Photo: Emily Cooper
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by Alexander Varty
ne of the pioneering works of 20th-century modernism, with a new dance score by an Indigenous choreographer. A selection of simple—but not necessarily simplistic—songs first made famous by Muppets. An outdoor concert featuring some of Vancouver’s finest brass players, using wooden instruments carved in a local park. As intriguing as these events all sound, there’s one question that’s puzzling us: what’s the through-line? Fortunately, Little Chamber Music artistic director Mark Haney, whose eclectic and ambitious company will present all three events in scenic Mountain View Cemetery, has the answer. “For me, the way they connect is about partnership,” he explains, checking in with the Straight from a bench in front of the CBC’s downtown headquarters. For the concert Moonshine, Arnold Schoenberg’s 1912 masterpiece Pierrot Lunaire is being produced in conjunction with the Blueridge Chamber Music Festival and choreographer Olivia C. Davies, with Blueridge co–artistic director Dory Hayley singing the title role. Brought to You by the Letter J, which will be presented twice, will be curated by Haney and his life partner, pianist and songwriter Ida Nilsen, with an all-star cast singing and playing the songs of long-time Sesame Street composer Joe Raposo. “The first albums I was truly addicted to were Sesame Street albums, in particular Ernie’s Hits and Oscar the Grouch’s Let a Frown Be Your Umbrella,” Haney reveals. “And in both of those, the songs I loved the most were written by Joe Raposo, so I’ve kind of been a fan of his since childhood. Ever since I took the reins of Little Chamber, I have wanted to do a Joe
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Trombonist Ellen Marple will help pay tribute to the songs of Sesame Street in Little Chamber Music’s eclectic annual concert program at Mountain View Cemetery.
Raposo concert—and it took seven years, but we’re here, and it’s great.” The final part of Little Chamber Music’s summer season will be both a visual and a sonic spectacle: in the nine-piece band Treesong, trombonist Brad Muirhead and other brass virtuosos will put aside their usual instruments and perform on large and sonorous “Fuhorns” carved from local deciduous trees by musician and visual artist Dave Gowman. Adding to the celebratory feel is the fact that Muirhead’s extroverted scores will be performed outdoors. “It’s going to start with a call-andresponse thing spread out around the cemetery, and then over the course of about the first half-hour, all the horns are going to congregate at the East Fountain, this circular area with a fountain in it, ringed by trees. And that’s where the bulk of the performance will take place,” Haney says. “I keep telling people that you haven’t seen or heard anything like this—and that’s just so true. The horns are so unique, the sounds they
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
make are so unique, and if you know Brad, then you know he’s a unique composer and musician.” There’s considerable method behind all of this madness. Not only is Little Chamber Music doing a smart thing by programming music—in the case of Brought to You by the Letter J, at least—that avant-garde connoisseurs, indie-rock fans, and small children will enjoy, but all three programs are free. And in that sense, the company’s August trifecta is a collaboration with the audience as well as with a very diverse crew of artists. “Strength in numbers, right?” says Haney. “You’re always stronger with more good people than with less, so I just see this as a natural progression of everything we do.” g Little Chamber Music presents Moonshine at Mountain View Cemetery’s Celebration Hall at 9 p.m. on Sunday (August 4). Brought to You By the Letter J takes place at 3:30 and 7 p.m. on August 11, also in the Celebration Hall. Treesong plays the cemetery at 7:30 p.m. on August 18.
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AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 21
ARTS
Serial killers and show tunes meet in Silence! by Andrea Warner
THEATRE
ONGOING
THURSDAY, AUGUST 1
MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY AT UBC aIN A DIFFERENT LIGHT: REFLECTING ON NORTHWEST COAST ART to summer 2020 aSHAKEUP: PRESERVING WHAT WE VALUE to Sep 1 aSHADOWS, STRINGS AND OTHER THINGS: THE ENCHANTING THEATRE OF PUPPETS to Oct 14
THE ARCHIVE ART ON GRANVILLE ISLAND Four artists from the Archive Art Studio. Aug 1-14, Granville Island. Free. TWISTED SISTERS: PRIDE EDITION! Unique comedy show where comics do standup and drag. Aug 1, 8 pm, Havana Theatre. $15. PLANTASIA New cabaret show explores gender through flora and fungi. Aug 1, 8-11 pm, Fox Cabaret. $25-40. THE UNDERSTUDY Theresa Rebeck’s comedy about the most thankless job in theatre, directed by Mel Tuck. Aug 1-10, 8-10:15 pm, Pal Studio Theatre . $20/10.
MUSEUM OF VANCOUVER aWILD THINGS: THE POWER OF NATURE IN OUR LIVES to Sep 30 aHAIDA NOW: A VISUAL FEAST OF INNOVATION AND TRADITION to Dec 1 aTHERE IS TRUTH HERE to Dec 31
SILENCE! THE MUSICAL
Music and lyrics by Jon Kaplan and Al Kaplan. Book by Hunter Bell. Directed by Mark Carter. Produced by DSR Productions and the Neanderthal Arts Festival. At the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre on Friday, July 26. Continues until August 3
d ALMOST EVERYTHING you need to know about this musical parody of the Academy Award–winning film The Silence of the Lambs can be gleaned from its best song, “If I Could Smell Her Cunt”. If this offends you, or you don’t get the joke right away— it’s from a line that one of the prison inmates snarls at young FBI agent in training Clarice Starling when she visits infamous cannibal and murderer Dr. Hannibal Lecter for the first time—Silence! The Musical might not be the production for you. This showstopper of a number represents the first meeting between Clarice (Stephanie Liatopoulos) and Hannibal (Seth Gordon Little). Although a student, Clarice has been called into FBI headquarters because of her interest in psychology and serial killers. Buffalo Bill (Mike Kovac) has been murdering women and the FBI is desperate to find him before he kills Catherine (Steffanie Davis), the missing daughter of a senator. Clarice’s boss thinks Hannibal is the key to stopping Bill and rescuing Catherine, and he doesn’t care that he might be putting Clarice in harm’s way. Aspects of the plot resonate more today than when The Silence of the Lambs debuted in 1991. An intrepid young woman triumphing over institutional sexism in the workplace,
ARTS LISTINGS
VANCOUVER ART GALLERY aMOVING STILL: PERFORMATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY IN INDIA to Sep 2 aVIEWS OF THE COLLECTION: THE STREET to Nov 17 aALBERTO GIACOMETTI: A LINE THROUGH TIME to Sep 29 aVIKKY ALEXANDER: EXTREME BEAUTY to Jan 26 aROBERT RAUSCHENBERG 1965–1980 to Jan 26
Silence! stars Stephanie Liantopoulos and Seth Gordon Little. Photo by Derek Fu
BEATY BIODIVERSITY MUSEUM aCLOSER to Nov 10 THE TAMING OF THE SHREW The 2007
version of Shakespeare’s as well as besting misogynistic sexual spaghetti-western work is the inspiration behind this Wild West predators and murderers? It’s a con- love story. To Sep 21, Bard on the Beach temporary feminist fairy tale. But a Shakespeare Festival. From $26. few “jokes” are decidedly dated. The SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE Young Will Shakeparody was written in 2005 and a speare has writer’s block. To Sep 18, Bard on couple of moments now feel trans- the Beach Shakespeare Festival. From $26. phobic and homophobic, and there’s ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL New staging an entire subplot that’s just fat-sham- of Shakespeare’s work set in India during the waning days of British occupation. To Aug ing for comic relief. Thankfully, when 11, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Silence! The Musical sticks to murder From $26. and misogyny, which it does most of THEATRE UNDER THE STARS Alternating the time, it is wildly funny. performances of Mamma Mia! and Disney’s The cast is talented, and all have good Newsies. To Aug 17, Malkin Bowl. comedic timing. The music is repetitive, ENSEMBLE THEATRE COMPANY’S 7TH but most of the songs are memorably ANNUAL SUMMER REPERTORY FESTIVAL uplifting comedy set in a doughnut macabre, thanks to hilarious lyrics and An shop (Superior Donuts), a classic good performances. Liatopoulos has to political satire for the age of Trump (Born be the straight woman while the rest of Yesterday) and a celebration of the power the actors get to be joyfully unhinged of storytelling (The Drawer Boy) make this Annual Summer Repertory Festival around her, but she’s ready to play every year’s from Ensemble Theatre Company one of time she gets the opportunity, especial- its most thrilling yet. To Aug 16, Jericho ly opposite Little. The pair have a lot of Arts Centre. From $25. fun as Clarice and Hannibal tango and VANCOUVER BACH FESTIVAL Early Music twirl. But it’s Little who almost steals the Vancouver presents performances by artists show while bringing Hannibal to exag- from the West Coast, Europe, and across America. To Aug 9, Christ Church gerated life. He savours every word that North Cathedral. $10-68. Hannibal speaks and reacts to every absurdity. It’s an engrossing, demented, WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 delightful performance. It also speaks BARD-B-Q & FIREWORKS Event includes to the power of Hannibal Lecter that Shakespeare, salmon barbecue, and a view parody doesn’t diminish his character; of the fireworks. Jul 31, Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. From $26. rather, it makes him more iconic. g
25th th Anniversary i Wreck k Beach h Butoh t h Performances f Saturday, Aug. 3 at 1:30pm Sunday, Aug. 4 at 2:15pm Foot of the #4 Trail below the UBC Museum of Anthropology
By donation Clothing optional beach No photography/video allowed Photo by Chris Randle
22 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
Arts
HOT TICKET
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 BRANDON WARDELL American comedian performs a standup show. Aug 2, Biltmore Cabaret. $18. TOPSY TURVY Fabulist Theatre presents a reimagined Disney cabaret featuring a mix of song, drag, and burlesque. Aug 2, 7:30-9:30 pm, Havana Theatre. $20-30.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 3 25TH ANNIVERSARY KOKORO DANCE WRECK BEACH BUTOH Clothing optional. No photography/video allowed. Aug 3, 1:302:45 pm; Aug 4, 2:15-3:30 pm, Wreck Beach: Foot of the No. 4 Trail below UBC Museum of Anthropology. By donation.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4 MOONSHINE: PIERROT LUNAIRE The Blueridge Chamber Music Festival and the Little Chamber Music Series That Could present a site-specific performance with choreography by Olivia C. Davies. Aug 4, 9 pm, Celebration Hall, Mountain View Cemetery. Free.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7 TIME TRAVELLERS’ CULTURE JAM: IMAGINING ART OF THE FUTURE Imagine the future of culture in Vancouver. Aug 7, 5:45-8 pm, Parking lot at 248 E 11th Ave off Main Street. Free with registration.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10 NEW WEST CULTURAL CRAWL Two-day arts and cultural festival showcases New Westminster’s creative talent. Aug 10-11, 11 am–5 pm, various New Westminster venues. Free.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 11 MAKER FEST @ MAKER CUBE Maker Cube is celebrating its one year anniversary! We’re giving back to the community that welcomed us with open arms 365 days ago and having a party! Introducing... Maker Fest at Maker Cube! Maker Fest is a free community event that showcases
POWELL STREET FESTIVAL
(August 3 and 4 in the Downtown Eastside) Amid the sumo demos and sushi, make sure to check out Henry Tsang’s 360 Riot Walk at the celebration of Japanese Canadian culture this weekend; the immersive video experience tracks the mob that led the 1907 Anti-Asian attacks that ripped the neighbourhood apart. On a lighter note, June Fukumura’s clown alter ego Sumiko (shown here) leads a whacked-out game show, and TEKE::TEKE brings its own mashup of Japanese surf rock and indie shoegaze to the mainstage both days.
local artists and artisans, celebrates creativity, and connects the community through making! Aug 11, 11 am–4 pm, Maker Cube. Free.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 RICHARD CLAYDERMAN The Return of the Prince of Romance. Richard Clayderman has done what virtually no other French act has ever done...established a truly international career as a best-selling recording artist and concert performer. Tickets on sale now: visit Ticketmaster. ca or call 1-855-985-5000. Sep 27, 8 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre. $58. ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit events online using the event-submission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don’t make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.
MOVIES
A Little Forest for one hungry foodie REVIEWS LITTLE FOREST
Starring Kim Tae-ri. In Korean, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable
d IF THE GENTLE, female-centred tone of Little Forest makes a profound contrast with the adrenaline-fuelled stories we usually get from South Korea, that’s partly because it’s a boiled-down remake of two Japanese films, each two hours long, taken from a hit manga by Daisuke Igarashi. One distinction in this piquant tale of youthful homecoming is that it is the ninth feature for Yim Soon-rye, a hallmark for any female director, in Korea or elsewhere. Another is a remarkable performance from Kim Taeri, who instantly charms as Hye-won, a woman in her early 20s newly returned from a sour Seoul experience to the rural village to which she moved as a child, when her dad was dying. Now her enigmatic mother is nowhere to be seen, although their tidy little home is still well-stocked with useful cooking implements. Good thing, since “I came back because I got hungry,” she tells a relative. She’s not kidding. Her two childhood friends think there must be more to it—a failed romance, or something. The snarky but playful Eun-sook (Jin Ki-joo) stuck around for a rare white-collar job, in a local bank, while the sober, floppyhaired Jae-ha (Ryu Jun-yeol) gave up university to work on his father’s farm. Naturally, Eun-sook has always been into Jae-ha, while he only has eyes for our lead gal. That sounds like standard YA fare, but the movie isn’t interested in typical conflicts. And Hye-won is more interested in food, just as she stated. A little forage of her immediate surroundings, and some others, reveals delicious ingredients through all four seasons—mostly built around recipes taught by that absent mother (Moon So-ri, who also starred with Kim in fest fave The Handmaiden), as seen in bittersweet flashbacks. The dishes themselves are so varied and beautiful, it may take you half the film to notice that none involves meat. Openhearted but still sharp-minded and quietly mysterious, this may be the least carnivorous movie of the year.
wrote the loose-limbed script with novelist Jonas Hassen Khemeri, is as interested in class divides as she is in the ethnic kind—especially in a country that prides itself on egalitarian values. For example, Aida’s Iraqiborn aunt (Shada Ismaeel), a cleaning lady already adjusted to her niece’s boyish self-presentation, gets upset with Dana’s mom (Persin Abdulrahman), a wealthy Turkish journalist who had to flee her own country, for encouraging the girls to risk upsetting those with power over them. Musse, meanwhile, starts to wonder As a young lady with a big appetite, Kim Tae-ri instantly charms in Little Forest, how Swedish he really is, especially coming to the Vancity Theatre as part of the 2019 Vancouver Korean Film Festival. since it means losing touch with his Amateurs suffers from some of it remembers to love what it does, own Tamil mother, who has reverted the same indulgences that make and its affection is contagious. by Ken Eisner to her own language in old age. the girls’ own movie too long. But
FREE TRIP TO EGYPT
A documentary by Ingrid Serban. In English and Arabic, with English subtitles. Rated PG
d AS WITH LUNCH, nothing is really free, but the trip here is still worth taking. Born to Egyptian parents in Halifax, Tarek Mounib grew up in Ottawa and now lives in Switzerland, where he has several tech companies, and he was alarmed at what he saw on a trip to the U.S. after the most recent presidential election. In 2017, the perpetually smiling Mounib wore a red cap to a Trump rally, shouting the future see next page
by Ken Eisner
AMATEURS
Starring Zahraa Aldoujaili. In Swedish, Arabic, German, Turkish, Romanian, and Tamil, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable
d THE WOULD-BE artists of the title here are amateurs in the best possible sense. This humanistic little Swedish comedy centres on two teens from immigrant backgrounds, vaguely reminiscent of the matched set from Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart; their life trajectory isn’t set yet, while that air of general superiority masks normal insecurities. Aida (Zahraa Aldoujaili) and Dana (Yara Aliadotter) are among the only nonwhite residents of Lafors, a fictional, rusty rural town that was once a bustling small-industry hub. Another outsider is town councillor Musse (Fredrik Dahl), who dreams up the idea of high-school sourcing a video promoting the little town to German retail conglomerate Superbilly, in talks to open a big store there. Our duo literally go to town, shooting everything with their smartphones and selfie sticks. The warts-and-all results are not exactly brochure-ready, and other entries are even worse, from a marketing viewpoint. So the town hires a pro (Jan Cruseman) to sunshine it up. But the girls keep going, and we get to see the wildly divergent footage of both projects, with each managing to annoy people in different ways. Director Gabriela Pichler, who
This is a Canadian Actors’ Equity Association production under the Artists’ Collective policy. LUNGS is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.
T I C K E T S AT B R O W N PA P E R T I C K E T S .C O M AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 23
Trump. And it’s the beefy ex-soldier who plays Beethoven on the hotellobby piano. Because wherever you go, you never really know.
from previous page
movie title to understandably wary supplicants. He eventually met a musclebound army veteran there out of curiosity, as well as a black policeman doing security; both said they’d be open to visiting a Muslim country, despite antipathy towards that religion. Taking his campaign online, Mounib gathered another ex-soldier (a heavily tattooed single mom this time), an evangelical proselytizer, a Kentucky beauty queen and B-film actor, and an elderly Jewish couple worried about their son, who was working in Saudi Arabia. “I did the whole ’60s thing,” says the wife, “and now I’m so racist I can’t stand myself.” Of course, that degree of selfawareness already sets apart the chosen travellers from those who would turn down 10 paid days at a nice hotel in Cairo. Mounib paired up his Koran-curious crew with willing locals, who ranged
HAVE YOU BEEN TO...
by Ken Eisner
BUÑUEL IN THE LABYRINTH OF THE TURTLES
Featuring the voice of Jorge Usón. In Spanish and French, with English subtitles. Rating unavailable
An unlikely group of travellers joined Canadian filmmaker Tarek Mounib after he attended a Trump rally with the not-too-shabby offer of a Free Trip to Egypt.
from full-hijab-wearing types to freethinking hipsters. What’s interesting here, in appropriately haphazard footage shot by Romanian-American Ingrid Serban, is that people gravitate towards those most like themselves. For example, when the most fundamentalist
Muslims of the group take offence at a folkloric dance group claiming Islamic roots, the evangelical Yanks leave the party with them. On the other hand, it’s the American cop who shakes his head in dismay when his Egyptian pal starts yelling about the greatness of Donald
Vanity Lab
North Van Physio
Butler Did It
thevanitylab.com
northvancouverphysio.ca
butlerdiditcatering.com
24 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
d THIS (MOSTLY) ANIMATED tale of Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel working around Spain’s incipient fascism and his own poverty at the start of the 1930s resembles nothing from the land of Disney. But there are some connections. Paris-based writer-director Salvador Simó has done visual effects for Uncle Walt efforts like Prince of Persia and The Jungle Book. Buñuel got his cinematic start alongside fellow surrealist Salvador Dalí in the shocking 1929 short “Un Chien Andalou”, followed by L’Age
d’Or, which vehemently attacked the Catholic Church. The subsequent outcry almost ruined Buñuel (voiced here by Jorge Usón), but Dalí walked away and went on to a kitschadelic career that included designing scenes for Alfred Hitchcock, Vincente Minnelli, and even Disney—although that last was shelved, along with a proposed collaboration with the Marx Brothers! Named after a village constructed from shale tiles, Labyrinth limits itself to Buñuel’s struggles to make his only documentary, about the poorest people of well-named Extremadura. The director was able to do this because anarchist pal Ramón Acín (Fernando Ramos) bought a winning lottery ticket. During their hinterland adventure, the director exercised his cruelty on a donkey and some hapless goats, while showing kindness towards the villagers. Drawn in the f lat, elegant style see next page
FOOD
Yes Shef! aims to empower women by Gail Johnson
J
by Ken Eisner
Movies
TIP SHEET
c MISSING The weeklong Vancouver Korean Film Festival opens with Lee Eonhee’s 2016 film, at the Vancity Theatre on Thursday (August 1). c LE SAMOURAÏ Jean-Pierre Melville’s incomparable thriller kicks off the Cinematheque’s tribute to the master of French noir on Thursday (August 1). c TIME FOR ILHAN Ilhan Omar’s rise to U.S. representative is captured in this doc, screening at the Vancity Theatre on Sunday and Monday (August 4 and 5).
In 1930, Luis Buñuel was the foremost surrealist fi lmmaker in the world, penniless, and ostracized. Inspired by tales of the poorest region in Spain, Las Hurdes, Buñuel set out to fi lm Land Without Bread, a 27-minute documentary that would confront his audience with humanity in its cruelest state, He would shock his audience out of their complacency, no matter what the cost.... This inspired animated feature from Spain spins biography into a spellbinding tale of art, dreams, and ethics. VIFF‘18
Chambar’s director of operations, Tia Kambas, hopes Yes Shef! builds a sense of community among women in her industry.
hospitality sector—“the Beyoncés of our business”—to have a panel discussion about leadership. Response was overwhelming; she had 50 people on the wait list. “I recognized this hunger,” Jagger says. “We had never had this focus from an industry perspective. With all the conversations around getting more women into leadership roles and moving that dial, we didn’t have any outlet for women in our own industry. “If you ask any chef the origins of their love of food, a lot of them attribute it to their mothers,” she adds. “It’s often their mother, grandmother, or auntie. Yet we celebrate the Gordon Ramsays. We celebrate a lot of men. We’re not putting the spotlight as much on some of the women.” To connect women in the local industry and address the gender gap, Jagger founded the WORTH Association (women of recreation, tourism, and hospitality). Its goal is threefold: to “educate, elevate, and empower”. The need for the group is clear. According to research the association conducted in partnership with Tourism HR Canada using census data, women earn 12 percent less than men for equal jobs in restaurant management. Only 17 percent of culinary leadership roles in Vancouver are held by women. The percentage of women who own and operate their own restaurants is even lower. “It’s about listening to women who have reached the pinnacle of their careers and helping young women break into the industry,” Jagger says of WORTH. “Let’s light a fire, show women the opportunities and the leadership goals that they can meet in an aspirational way.” The Yes Shef! dinner came about following discussions Jagger had with Tia Kambas, director of operations and former executive chef at Chambar Restaurant. Kambas got into the restaurant industry because, as she puts it, she was not doing well in the traditional schooling system. She left in Grade 9. Her dad told her if she wasn’t going to go to school, she would have to work. She saw a sign in a window
HAVE YOU BEEN TO... Marcello’s marcellopizzeria.com
Chickpea ilovechickpea.ca
Kilian Chiropractic kilianchiropractic.com
for a job as a dishwasher and took it. There, Kambas met Nico Schuermans, who went on to open Chambar Restaurant with his partner, Karri Green-Schuermans. When Kambas was 16, he asked if she wanted to be his apprentice. She worked her way up from dishwasher to pastry chef to junior sous-chef, sous-chef, then, ultimately, executive chef before taking on the role of director of ops. “I learn well with my hands,” Kambas says. “Once I get it, I get it forever. It felt like the right fit. Food is me. “As a chef, what I love most is having a team and having an exceptional service and being proud of everything you’re putting up,” she says. “It’s a sense of accomplishment.” Kambas approached Jagger with the idea of holding a long-table dinner to raise funds for culinary scholarships and mentorship for women in the field of food and wine.
will join forces for one of the most significant Vancouver dining events of the year. Each student is teaming up with a chef and sommelier, and together they will create a dish with a wine pairing. Joining Kambas in the kitchen are: Andrea Carlson, executive chef and owner of Burdock & Co. and Harvest Community Foods; Meeru Dhalwala, co-owner of Vij’s and Rangoli; Mariana Gabilondo, executive chef and director of operations of La Mezcaleria; and Eleanor Chow Waterfall, who owns Cadeaux Bakery. For sommeliers, there’s Jill Spoor of Fairmont Pacific Rim; Café Medina’s Jenna Briscoe; Wildebeest’s Christina Hartigan; Kelcie Jones of Chambar; and Maude Renaud-Brisson. Sommelier and bartender Lauren Mote, cofounder of Bittered Sling Bitters, will create a welcome cocktail. Yes Shef! is about more than delicious food and drink and raising funds
We celebrate the Gordon Ramsays. We celebrate a lot of men. We’re not putting the spotlight as much on some of the women. – Joanna Jagger
“My main goal is to build community,” Kambas says. “There isn’t really anything for females in the industry, a home base or a hub. When I went to culinary school, I was one of six [women] in a class of 30. Maybe it was a man’s world, but it definitely doesn’t need to be.” Yes Shef!, taking place at Chambar, will see a stellar lineup of women—five chefs, five sommeliers, and five culinary students from Vancouver Community College—who
for scholarship and mentorship programs. It’s also a sign of things to come. “This is a powerhouse group of women,” Jagger says. “There’s going to be a lot of talent in that room. This is advocacy. I really want women to see their career path in the industry. We’re trying our best to make noise.” g. Yes Shef!: Elevating Women in Food and Wine takes place on August 12 at Chambar Restaurant. Tickets ($180 per person) and information are at worthassociation.com.
FOR 1 2TTHE GREATEST HITS
(with the purchase of beverages)
of the graphic novel on which it’s based, the smart 80-minute effort explores Buñuel’s ambivalence towards his Jesuit upbringing and the bizarre wit that would serve him well right through the 1970s, when he capped his career with still-relevant winners such as The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. It’s a measure of how much inf luence he had that the surrealistic dream scenes here are the only boring bits. See it!
ONE PER DINING EXPERIENCE
A legendary filmmaker gets animated in Buñuel in the Labyrinth of Turtles.
oanna Jagger has taken on practically every role in the hospitality sector, starting as a cook at the White Rock Keg. She wore whites for six years, then worked as a bartender, server, host, and even oyster shucker before moving into HR. The mom of two also completed a master’s degree in leadership. During her studies, she couldn’t help but scrutinize her own industry, and a disheartening fact hit her: there’s a massive gap within it when it comes to women trying to move up into leadership positions. Now, Jagger is advocating for and empowering women in the field. One way she’s elevating women in food and wine is by spearheading an upcoming long-table fundraising dinner called Yes Shef!, which will feature some of Vancouver’s leading female chefs and sommeliers along with a handful of up-and-coming female culinary talents. “Four out of five companies in the S & P 500 are dedicated and devoted to moving gender equity to their top priority, yet my own personal experience and research showed that the hospitality industry is lagging way behind,” Jagger says in a phone interview. “I was kind of my own textbook case study of somebody who accelerated through the ranks, then having a family changed my perspective. I found it really tough to figure out a balance and continue on in a demanding industry with really crazy hours and antiquated expectations.” While on maternity leave with her second child last May, Jagger, who is an instructor in Capilano University’s school of tourism and outdoor recreation, came up with the idea to bring together women in the local
(second entrée of equal or lesser value) up to $15. (se Va Valid until August 31, 2019. Not valid with other co coupons or other in-house offers or event nights. Gr Gratuities based on TOTAL bill before discount.
Free Street Parking!
BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER
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2066 KINGSWAY (at Victoria) Victor | 604.873.1010 | www.thebottletipper.com AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 25
AFGHAN HORSEMEN FOOD
Catoro Cafe inspired by Japanese film
RESTAURANT SINCE 1974
T
by Tammy Kwan
AWARD WINNING
AFGHAN CUISINE
22 NDAnnual
2019
SINCE 2008
Open 7 Nights A Week from 5pm to close 1833 Anderson St. (2nd Floor) Vancouver
BEFORE THE ENTRANCE TO GRANVILLE ISLAND, RIGHT BEHIND THE STARBUCKS
For reservations visit www.afghanhorsemen.com or call 604.873.5923
THE 22NDAnnual 18
Celebrating
2019
2015
50 years!
Naam Restaurant
Golden Plate Awards Best Vegetarian 20 years running Restaurant for Winner Best a 3am meal Kitsilano Winner Best Restaurant Runner-Up Most Vegan Friendly Runner-Up Best Vegetarian
OPEN
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hose who may not even be animal lovers might be impressed with a whimsical new cat café that recently made its debut. Vancouver’s Catoro Cafe (666 East Broadway) opened its doors this week, giving city dwellers the chance to bond with rescue cats in a unique setting. Its name and the cat sanctuary are inspired by Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli’s cult film My Neighbor Totoro. “I’ve been to quite a few cat cafés and animal cafés in Korea and Japan, and I really like the concept of being close to animals in an urban setting,” Nathan Chan—co-owner of Catoro alongside Luke Mochizuki, Leo Chan, and Lisa Wong—told the Georgia Straight during an interview at the then soon-to-open space. The attraction is split into two parts: a cat-forest side and a café side. Visitors wanting to spend time with the felines will have to book an online reservation; admission is $8 for 30 minutes. Once guests arrive, they check in before receiving a brief orientation. Inside the cat forest, slippers are available because outside shoes are not allowed. But a half-hour may not be enough for all there is to enjoy. For starters, the cat forest features custom-built tree-trunk stools, three-
THE MACKENZIE ROOM’S LOVE IS LOVE PRIDE COCKTAIL
S
• Licensed • 7 Days A Week • Cozy Wood Fireplace • Heated Patio • Live Music Sunday - Thursday 7-10pm Why not sip a Love Pride cocktail this weekend? Photo by Katie Cross
> Go on-line to read hundreds of I Saw You posts or to respond to a message < BSB DNA VIP
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WHOLE FOODS MARKET
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 27, 2019 WHERE: Rogers Arena at the BSB concert
I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 23, 2019 WHERE: Translink Bus #six Downtown
First noticed you outside in line, then again in the drink line after the m&g where we caught eyes...and you flashed me a beautiful smile. Me tall blond, with my daughter, you were a brunett in a red top with a team canada jacket. I was next to you at the opening of the show but then you disappeared before I could say hi, only to reappear on the outside of the stage with a friend, and a big smile and a wave. Would love to know more about you and TC over coffee.
If you hadn’t sit next to me, I could have died alone. If you hadn’t made me wonder of love, I would’t have been in my apartment last night. Is this love? What is love? It is love because I am wondering where I can find you again.
I SAW YOU CHECK ME OUT (ON MY BICYCLE)
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 27, 2019 WHERE: 10th and Alder You wearing a pink shirt and short shorts and has a brown and navy pannier on your bike. We were both biking east bound along 10th avenue bikeway. At hemlock street a car had a green light but didn’t go at all. You mentioned that to me as we both chucked at the sight. As I continued eastbound along 10th you turned south onto Alder. I looked back and you were definitely checking me out (I guess I was too). Turns out maybe I should have said more of a hello. Anyways, it seems like it was mutual, so let me know if you want to get together for coffee sometime.
PUNK IN DRUBLIC, SKY TRAIN HOME
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 13, 2019 WHERE: New westminster We were both on the sky train coming back from Punk in Drublic. I made fun of how burnt your arm was. You invited me to Steel and Oak, then to the Terminal pub after. I said I had to go back home to walk my dogs. I should've asked for your number before you got off at New West station. Still down to grab a beer?
BABE ON BIKE
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 3, 2019 WHERE: West End
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We passed one another on bikes yesterday in a West End walkway around 7pm. You were heading towards the beach and I in the opposite direction. I think you are a total babe: tall, dark, handsome man, bike riding lookin hot in sunglasses and hat with backpack. Me: brunette, jeans and white flipflops. Repondez s’il vous plait :)
NIRVANA
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JUNE 18, 2019 WHERE: New Brighton Park I was walking my dogs in my own world when you commented on my Nirvana t-shirt. You were friendly and cute, wish I had stopped to chat. If by chance you see this and care to connect shoot me a message :)
CUTE ONE, IS IT YOU?
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 1, 2019 WHERE: Denman Street, English Bay, Mediterranean Grill I was at Mediterranean Grill on Denman near English Bay, Canada Day 7:30 ish. I was getting up and said CUTE ONE and looked at you. You locked eyes with me and we had a moment. My friend standing between us had an honest to god giggle. I was wearing a cheetah print dress. Brown hair, fringe, green eyes and freckles. I only saw your blue eyes .
GROCERIES AT SUPERVALU NEAR THE DRIVE
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 3, 2019 WHERE: Supervalu on 1st and Commercial You: darker, shy...super cute... worked until 7pm Me: suited and left an event which you were curious about on a Wed. Saw you in the store and we briefly chatted in the Check out line. I hope chips and salsa weren’t dinner. Would love to know more about you.
NUMBER 5 BUS DRIVER, I SHOWED YOU MY PRETTIEST LOONIE
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 24, 2019 WHERE: West Pender at Hamilton
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I got on the bus only to notice the change in fare. I had coins in my hand and before I could speak you said‚ "Give me whatever you got.". Your response startled me, only to realize you were totally joking while explaining fare had gone up 5 cents. I dug in my change purse and like a child showed off my shiniest loonie. I thought you were super sweet and thanked you for the ride while hopping off at Robson x Thurlow.
STRIPES ATTRACT STRIPES
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I SAW A: I AM A: WHEN: JULY 18, 2019 WHERE: Outside Blenz in Olympic Village You and your friend were sitting outside Blenz in Olympic Village, you were wearing a green & white striped shirt and had a big smile on your face. I was also wearing stripes and a smile when I passed with my two friends (who were matching in black & denim). I definitely did not wait long enough before saying “that guy in the stripes is really cute” so I can only assume you heard. What I should have done is stopped to say hello so instead I’m writing my first ever I Saw You... just in case.
Visit straight.com to post your FREE I Saw You _ 26 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
dimensional wall panels embedded with twinkling light fixtures, original and colourful artwork, faux greenery, and the pièce de résistance: a pricey but very realistic-looking 1,000-pound artificial tree. (There’ are three of them throughout the establishment.) And then there are the cats. There are 25 of them, to be exact, but they may not all roam in the cat forest at the same time. Interactive toys like balls, feather teasers, and tunnels are all on the floor, ready for use. “It’s not just a place where you come and play with cats, it’s a place where you can actually see them and comfort them too,” Chan said. “It’s good for the
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Adoptable cats can be found at the city’s newest feline cafe. Photo by Tammy Kwan
COMMUNITY IS AT the very heart of Pride Week; to celebrate, the Mackenzie Room has rallied several Vancouver restaurants to join it in creating a special cocktail. Not only are these libations lipsmacking, but a portion of proceeds from each one sold will be donated to QMUNITY, B.C.’s queer, trans, and two-spirit resource centre. Check out the “Pride Ally #stillfighting50” cocktails at Royal Dinette, Como Taperia, Bar Tocador, Gringo’s, Nomad, Havana, and Donnelly Group restaurants. Here’s the version that the Mackenzie Room’s Caledonia Wright has come up with to raise awareness and support of QMUNITY and Vancouver Pride.
1 oz Stealth craft vodka ¾ oz Legend Distilling Manitou orange and sumac liqueur ¼ oz charred lemon balsamic (available at Vancouver Olive Oil Company) 2 dashes of Zingiber crabapple bitters from Bittered Sling Bitters Bella Wines sparkling rosé Combine vodka, Manitou liqueur, balsamic, and bitters in a container and stir with ice. Strain into a Champagne flute and top with sparkling rosé. Optional: drop in a glitter bomb made of equal parts freeze-dried black-currant powder and white sugar. Use a food processor or clean spice grinder to make into a fine powder. Add edible glitter and press into a heart-shaped silicone mould. Leave in a dry place to dehydrate overnight.
by Gail Johnson
cats, and it’s a good stress relief for people, too.” There’s no cost for guests to go inside the café portion, and a limited food and drink menu is available. Various bubble-tea flavours will be offered, including brown-sugar milk, vanilla Earl Grey milk tea, Thai iced tea, and lemon-Yakult green tea. Classic add-ons such as tapioca balls (pearls), grass jelly, and coconut jelly can also be chosen. The co-owners have ad0pted a zerowaste vision and will serve its drinks in biodegradable-plastic containers that they plan to recycle themselves. That means there will be no garbage bins in the café. Reusable bamboo straws will be provided in lieu of traditional plastic bubble-tea straws. As for the food, Totoro-shaped bubble waffles will be made to order. So far, that’s the only food item on the menu. A reclaimed-wood bar and matching stools serve as seats and tables, and large windows give customers a direct view of the cat forest. “It’s really hard for people in everyday life to get close to animal rescue,” Chan said. “It’s just not convenient, and [they] are usually sad places to be.” Catoro, like another cat café in the city, will only house adoptable rescue cats. They have partnered with the Cat Therapy and Rescue Society, a registered charity with a no-kill rescue policy. “I feel like there’s a very big need for people to help some of these cats,” Chan explained. “There are about 100,000 cats that are strays across Canada. We designed this with Cat Therapy and Rescue and basically everything is optimized for the best environment for the cats.” Consider it a petting zoo, animal therapy, and adoption centre all in one. Even if you’re mildly allergic to cats, take an allergy pill and venture into the forest—it’s worth it. g
Dutch are no longer cannabis leaders
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by Adolfo Gonzalez
msterdam, long known as Europe’s most sinful playground, may be seeing some welcome changes to its antiquated system of coffee-shop regulation very soon. Although the Netherlands was the first country in the world to regulate the sale of recreational cannabis, it has never created a system to regulate the production of the cannabis that is sold out of coffee shops. Only the production of medical cannabis is regulated, and it’s sold exclusively under prescription, with police typically turning a blind eye to “backdoor” acquisitions of unregulated black-market cannabis products by coffee shops. So, basically, the Dutch have been grappling for decades with a paradoxical system: one where someone can obtain a licence to operate a coffee shop but with no legal source of obtain product. As you can imagine, this has resulted in arrests and seizures of people and property due to illegal production sites, smuggling through borders, and the influx of organized crime.
The Netherlands regulates medical cannabis. Photo by Amanda Siebert
It has also led to a marketplace with product of unknown potency and purity. Keep that in mind the next time you are eyeing that gram bud for 30 euros. Once a global leader in progressive drug policy, today the Netherlands lags behind countries like Canada, Portugal, and Uruguay, where recreational sales are federally regulated. Although medical-cannabis production is regulated by the Dutch government, a more diverse range of such products—like oil-based tinctures—has only recently started to become available to patients.
This year, Dutch authorities initiated a welcome change to this policy by allowing about a dozen municipalities to launch pilot programs that permit different forms of supply-chain regulation to be tested by a select group of coffee shops. The types of regulatory frameworks being tried range from small-scale production arrangements that allow each coffee shop to register members who grow a certain number of plants (currently the model in Spain and Uruguay) to a state-owned monopoly—as is the case with Bedrocan, the single federally licensed supplier of prescription medical cannabis for all of the Netherlands. Many fear that a state monopoly could lead to a lack of product variety, as is the case in the medical market, while others object to the exclusion of the private sector from this potentially lucrative opportunity. For now, there is little else to do but wait and see what results from this latest edition of the social experiment that provided the world with the first glimpse of cannabis regulation. g Adolfo Gonzalez is cofounder of CannaReps.
music
Stef Chura embraces light on Midnight After learning to like herself, Detroit indie rocker joins whip-smart wave of new DIY artists by Mike Usinger
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ooking back, Stef Chura changed in the most profound of ways during the writing and release of her acclaimed 2017 debut album, Messes. “I think that I began to seek order in a new way because I had to,” the Detroit indie rocker says, speaking on her cell from a tour van headed to Phoenix. “There had to be some kind of shift if I was to keep going. I didn’t realize how much Messes was an autobiography in a weird way. The process of releasing the record had me look at my life. I had to confront a lot of stuff.” A big one was convincing herself that, after years of playing in other people’s bands while writing bedroom songs for herself, she had something important to offer. “I didn’t like playing live,” Chura admits. “I didn’t like seeing pictures of myself. And I really didn’t love myself at all. That made everything pretty stressful. But I knew that I had to confront that and deal with it—to realize what I had, and what I didn’t have.” Today, the singer-guitarist is 30 and in a much better place, with her just-released sophomore outing, Midnight, getting the same reverential reception as Messes. Both records position Chura as part of a whip-smart, DIY wave that includes the likes of Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lala Lala. Like those artists, Chura traffics in a brand of indie rock that nods to the genre’s early-’90s glory years while pushing things forward. Midnight shows the singer as having little interest in repeating Messes’ more or less monochromatic approach to lo-fi. After starting out all wonderfully laconic with “All I Do Is Lie”, the record pulls a hard left into guitar-crunched garageland with “Scream” and then gets loud
Stef Chura has a voice that suggests she belongs at the same lunch table as Karen O and Stevie Nicks. Photo by Kelsey Hart
yet somehow meditative with the organ-swirled “Degrees”. From there, Chura references everything from Texas-sunset Americana (“Trumbull”) to reimagined shoegaze (“3D Girl”). The one constant is her amazing, always emotive voice, which suggests she has studied masters like Karen O, Chrissie Hynde, and Stevie Nicks. For Chura, both Messes and Midnight have marked a period of intense personal growth. She might belong at the cool kids’ lunch table today, but that wasn’t always the case. “I would call the period of not liking myself basically my entire 20s,” Chura says openly. “I got bullied pretty severely in the gym and in the locker room and at lunch in junior high.” That partly explains why she was initially reluctant to put herself out there as a solo artist. “I think there was the idea that
people would be laughing at me,” Chura says. “I carried that in my self-esteem for a really long time. It really was after putting out Messes that I had to go, ‘I can’t just feel bad about myself. I’ve got what I’ve got, and there are ways to deal with that.’ One of them was realizing that nothing was wrong with me.” As Chura has noted in multiple interviews, the death of a close friend in a swimming accident when she was 24 led to the revelation that life is short, so one needs to do something with one’s time here. “There was definitely a kick in the ass,” she says. “In my early 20s, I really didn’t want to be in any kind of spotlight at all. My friend passing away really did impact me. I looked at my life and thought, ‘What if I just died tomorrow?’ It wasn’t super dramatic—it was more ‘What would I
be okay with, and what wouldn’t I be okay with?’ After the scary part was over—making and releasing Messes— I sort of thought, ‘I really could have done this when I was a lot younger.’” That newfound confidence manifested itself in an interesting way on Midnight. Chura admits that when she was working on her debut LP, she was resistant to the idea that her songs could be improved by someone other than herself. For example, she dismissed suggestions from the album’s producer, Fred Thomas, that the songs could be fleshed out with synths. Work on Midnight began while Messes was still establishing her as an important new voice. What she gained in that short window was an openness to new things, which is a true hallmark of personal growth. In the producer’s chair for Midnight was Car Seat Headrest’s Will
Toledo, whom Chura toured with in 2016. The indie-rock golden boy first reached out after discovering her on Tumblr via a Pitchfork mention. After falling hard for Messes, he offered to produce two songs—“Degrees” and “Sour Honey”—for a Record Store Day 7-inch. The experience was positive enough that Toledo agreed to helm Midnight. He gently pushed Chura in new ways, which she could not be more grateful for. “The songs for the 7-inch were both ones I cut from Messes, so I was pretty open-minded with them,” she says. “It was like, ‘We’ll just take these where they are going to go, rather than being beholden to some idea I had about them.’ They sounded amazing, so when Will decided to do the album, I was really open for whatever went down. “A lot of the songs went in places where I never thought they could go,” Chura continues. “There was a core of what I wanted to happen, but Will added a lot of elements to make them very experimental. Take something like ‘Method Man’—that came from a very old demo of songs. It’s kind of postpunk, but Will wanted to do some stuff with hip-hop drums, which really took it to a different place.” That willingness to try anything has Chura excited about getting back into the studio, possibly as early as this fall. Having tamed the demons that once held her back, she’s endlessly excited about what tomorrow might bring: “It was kind of like that old proverb ‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. And the second-best time is today.’ Now I’m more focused on what I’m doing now than what I didn’t do in the past.” g Stef Chura plays the Biltmore Cabaret on Thursday (August 1).
Flacko vs. Sweden amplifies the insanity by Mike Usinger
POP EYE
W
hen pop-culture historians look back on the summer of 2019, they’ll single out the case of A$AP Rocky vs. Sweden as a prime example of things finally going from mildly surreal to totally bat-shit crazy. First, a primer on a saga that sadly speaks volumes about how low the world’s sunk. On June 30, the man known to Swedish police as Rakim Mayers was involved in a street altercation in the land of ABBA, IKEA, and ABSOLUT vodka. The rapper was detained by authorities after it was alleged he, along with members of his entourage, attacked 19-year-old Mustafa Jafari on the streets of Stockholm. The Afghan immigrant was left with documented cuts to his arms, legs, and face after the incident. After almost a month in jail, A$AP Rocky was charged with assault, to which he pleaded not guilty in a trial that began on July 30. The Harlem native known to his fans as Lord Flacko argued that he acted in self-defence. If convicted, he could face up to two years in jail. What’s been fascinating is the myriad ways the incident has been spun. Initially, Mayers wisely took to the modern world’s number one source for news in 2019: Instagram. Video posts on his account showed two separate sequences where he and members of his crew repeatedly told Jafari and another man to beat it and walk away. Making one wonder about the sanity of the two, they continued to tail and engage A$AP Rocky and his minions, one of whom was roughly the size
A$AP Rocky makes one wonder exactly what kind of person orders a hamburger in the land of IKEA.
of Breaking Bad’s Huell Babineaux. Messing with the bull, they eventually got the horns. On Instagram, it all looked cut-and-dried. Which, of course, is exactly the problem with getting one’s information from Instagram. Anyone with a working knowledge of basic video editing on an iPhone can change the narrative to their benefit with the trim button. Texts and messages
retrieved from the phones of A$AP Rocky and his crew suggest that’s indeed what happened. Because Big Brother is now everywhere, Swedish authorities announced that they have additional footage of the run-in that tells a much larger story, including surveillance video from the hamburger restaurant where things began. Feel free to ask yourself what kind of ignorant American goes to Sweden and decides there’s nothing he’d like more on the localcuisine front than a hamburger. What was interesting was the way that the men in the Instagram clips were viewed by mainstream America. To go online was to notice every second redneck—whether proudly self-declared or sadly unaware—homing in on the fact that those on the wrong side of the beating are young immigrants from Afghanistan. For those with MAGA caps sutured to their heads, that was enough to make them an instant “Send them back” enemy. TMZ.com, the main news source for those who aren’t on Instagram, joyfully dug into the past of Jafari, reporting that he was convicted of assault in Stockholm at age 16. It didn’t stop there. Google “Mustafa Jafari + Reddit” and you’ll be directed to a thread that contends there are other missteps in his past. A$AP Rocky’s Reddit fans use the Stockholm incident as a springboard to argue that Jafari behaved in exactly the way one might expect of a political refugee living in Sweden. In a sad reflection of Donald Trump’s America, comments suggest the land of Swedish meatballs has just as many “bad hombres” as America does, thanks to immigration. Occasional posts like “Damn fuck this dude, as an Afghan Muslim, please don’t lump me in
with this trash. #freeflacko” at least leave one thinking not everyone in the world is now judging their fellow human beings by the colour of their skin. Given the “trash” part of the post, however, intolerance evidently comes in all flavours. And that brings us to the subject of race. The case of A$AP Rocky has proven to be something of an outrage to no less than Donald Trump, who says he was alerted to the rapper’s plight by his wife, Melania Trump. That Melania looks like she wouldn’t know A$AP Rocky from Rocky Balboa, Rocky Marciano, or Rocky and Bullwinkle seems to have occurred to no one. Over the past couple of weeks, Trump—who had previously given every indication that the only black person he has any time for is crazy Kanye West—has been all over the issue, including mainstreaming a #FreeRocky hashtag. You might have seen him take to Twitter while sitting on the shitter to suggest that the real reason A$AP Rocky has been targeted by Swedish authorities is that he’s black. Which was at least a welcome diversion from Trump calling Baltimore—which is 62 percent African-American—the major-U.S.-city version of a Shithole Country. Trump also says he personally attempted—at the urging of West and Kim Kardashian—to get Swedish prime minister Stefan Löfven to free Rocky. He was evidently unaware that, under Swedish law, that’s every bit as impossible as putting IKEA furniture together on the first try. Or getting Donald Trump Jr. to lay off the hair gel. Fascinating as all this is, even the most devoted pop-history enthusiast would argue it’s time for someone to stop the insanity. g
AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT 27
The Georgia Straight Confessions, an outlet for submitting revelations about your private lives—or for the voyeurs among us who want to read what other people have disclosed.
MUSIC
Spoon makes space with Mental Health
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by Alexander Varty
Scan to confess Scapegoat aka black sheep It’s been noted that frequently the person in any family that gets labeled the black sheep is actually the family’s scapegoat, and that they’re also the only one... (con’t @straight.com)
I confess I’m on a news boycott for a while My mental health is suffering: Trump, dead babies in hot cars, Trump, huge increase in hate crimes, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, Trump.... It’s getting to me. No social media, no news, just my books, movies and music for the next several weeks. I’m retired so I can pull off my “hermit” decision.
Victoria’s Secret I know this may seem bizarre and ridiculous (childish even) but I honestly believe good things happen when I wear my maroon Victoria Secret brassiere. I purchased it a year ago and since then, whenever I wore it, I felt unstoppable. I told you, aha, ridiculous. I’m an adult and I have... (con’t @straight.com)
Oh the humanity! I still get a warm feeling inside when I nod or smile or say hi at someone passing me on my walks. I even feel a bit guilty for making myself feel so much better when people return the gesture. Keeps my hope in humanity alive. It’s still the small things peeps.
Was stood up! Took myself shopping and out for sushi! Probably a way better date than what was planned.
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f Rae Spoon had only written Mental Health as a record of personal trauma, it would still be a bold, frank, and at times gorgeous document of the ways the mind can play tricks on itself. In songs such as “There’s No End” and “Again + Again + Again”, Spoon stares down the abyss and walks away alive, celebrating that survival with a wonderfully vital blend of electronic beats, rock-band dynamics, and uplifting brass. But while the nonbinary musician readily admits that most of their 10th fulllength draws on their own experience, they’ve found a way of making it a gift for all of us who, from time to time, feel the gravitational pull of the void. “A lot of it is autobiographical, but it’s also coming out of a few years of losing people to suicide and things like that,” Spoon explains. “Also, belonging to the transgender, nonbinary, LGBTQ community, the amount of oppression people experience, I think, contributes to having higher amounts of stress and mental-health things going on sometimes. So I sort of felt that with that happening in my community, addressing it was really powerful for me. Like in the song ‘Again + Again’, I’m thinking of people who didn’t reach out, or who didn’t have the resources, and it’s very close to my heart, that issue. And also I wanted to not create something that tells people what to think, but more a space where I talk about what I’ve lived through, what I’m experiencing, and what I’m hopeful about— and I’m hoping other people can kind of find space for their own stories in it.” The darkness is real, Spoon continues, but so is the antidote. “It took me a long time to understand what the opposite of the void was—or, like, the opposite of alcoholism or the painkillers that I’ve used or other folks have used,” the singer and multi-instrumentalist explains from their Victoria home. “It’s actually human connection, I think—which is probably the hardest thing to find when you’re looking at the void. It’s the last thing I’d think of seeking out, but it is actually the opposite of being lonely or in pain. So, yeah, working through stuff like that for myself led to some peace.” Spoon encourages others who might be in distress to seek help— from friends, from medical professionals, from suicide hotlines—but doesn’t downplay the pain, or the struggle, or the fact that despair can lead to the kind of paralysis that makes reaching out all but impossible. “I think there’s a lot of discussion of mental health in public and in the
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No stranger to the challenges of loneliness and darkness, Rae Spoon examines the cyclical nature of life on a bold, gorgeous new album. Photo by Dave Todon
It’s really great to get to kind of mentor other artists. – Rae Spoon
media—a lot of discussion about getting help,” they allow. “Which is really good and important, but I haven’t heard as much talk about living with mental-health issues, you know, and the fact that there is no end. It’s sort of like talking about having a ‘caring culture’, and people think a caring culture is when someone goes and gets treated and then it’s over. Which is actually not true about most mentalhealth issues. They’re something that is a lifelong issue for most people. So finding ways to survive, that’s kind of what I’m trying to go for.” The new record, they add, is largely “about the cyclical nature of life. There’s always going to be times that are lower and more difficult, but even if it’s very difficult, quite frequently
HARAGAN Y CÍA (MEXICO)
HANK VON HELL
SEP
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28 THE GEORGIA STR AIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
WITH
CANCER BATS SINGLE MOTHERS,
SHARPTOOTH, PET BLESSINGS
WITH GUESTS BORT, SLEEPCIRCLE
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QUANTIC SOLO LIVE
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AT LANALO U’S
SKATING POLLY JO PASSED, PRIMP
ENFORCER AND WARBRINGER
WITH TORREFY, WMD, GREYHAWK
LISSIE
ARKONA
WITH METSATÖLL, WIND ROSE, TROLLBAND
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TRUCKFIGHTERS
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Rae Spoon hosts a CD–release party for Mental Health at the Fox Cabaret on August 14.
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(FROM TURBONEGRO) ‘PRETTY DECENT TOUR’
WITH SPIDERS, REBEL PRIEST
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there are some different spaces of beauty or rest, hopefully, in between all of those things that are difficult.” Spoon notes that they feel privileged to be a musician—a member of a profession that, despite an increasingly challenging business environment, regularly trades in both human connection and moments of beauty. “I feel lucky that I found my people,” they note, and some of those people contribute materially to Mental Health, which boasts performances from Victoria songwriter Northcote, Gabriola Island trumpet player Tina Jones, and Vancouver-based singer Becky Black, from the Pack AD. Others will turn out for Spoon’s upcoming CD–release party, which will also be a showcase for the artists on their Coax Records label, including Kimmortal and LAL. “It’s really great to get to kind of mentor other artists, or help other artists get their ducks in a row—and it does help me create community for artists,” Spoon says of their venture into label management. “We’re getting lonelier and lonelier, because a lot of people just make their records and put them up on Spotify and don’t talk to anyone. So it’s an attempt to make space where sometimes there isn’t so much space for people.” Once again, connection is all. g
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COUSIN HARLEY (PAUL PIGAT’S 50TH!)
WITH THE WHEELGRINDERS & PETER AND THE WOLVES
& VOIVOD REVOCATION WITH GUESTS PSYCROPTIC, SKELETAL REMAINS, CONJURER
METALUCIFER
WITH GUESTS ROADRASH, HEXRIPPER
PERIPHERY HAIL STAN: NORTH AMERICA 2019 TOUR
WITH GUESTS VEIL OF MAYA AND COVET
TOWARDS REBIRTH TOUR’ ELUVEITIE & KORPAKLAANI ‘WANDERERS
WITH GONE IN APRIL
MUSIC LISTINGS
Music
CONCERTS JUST ANNOUNCED TOBI LOU Nigeria-born, Chicago-raised rapper and producer, with guests LIL TRXPTENDO and femdot. Sep 19, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. $15. MAN WITH A MISSION Alt-metal band from Tokyo. Sep 23, Imperial Vancouver. $25. ELI WILLIAMS AS ELVIS LIVE! Tribute to Elvis Presley. Sep 28, 7 pm, Genesis Theatre. $35-45. THE EARLY NOVEMBER Alt-rock band from New Jersey. Oct 1, Biltmore Cabaret. $17.50. TEGAN AND SARA Canadian indie-pop band, composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin. Oct 5, Vogue Theatre. $39.50-79.50. LANDON CUBE American indie-alternative singer-songwriter and music producer. Oct 14, 8 pm, Fox Cabaret. $18. SLOAN Canadian rock band on their Navy Blues Tour. Oct 27, 8:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $35. LITE AND ELEPHANT GYM Double bill of math-rock bands from Japan and Taiwan. Oct 28, Biltmore Cabaret. $25. BIG WRECK Can-Am rock band. Oct 31–Nov 1, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $42.50. THE BAND PERRY American country-pop trio composed of siblings Kimberly Perry, Reid Perry, and Neil Perry, with guests Phangs. Nov 1, Vogue Theatre. $30. TOM MORELLO Guitarist playing full songs off his 2018 collaborative release, The Atlas Underground. Nov 2, 8 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $45.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4 ROB ZOMBIE AND MARILYN MANSON American shock-rockers coheadline on their Twins of Evil Tour. Aug 4, 7 pm, Rogers Arena. $119.50/89.50/69.50/49.50/39.50.
TIP SHEET
c THE PACK A.D. (August 1 at Venue) After living out of a van for what’s seemed like the past half-decade, the hardest working rawk twosome in Vancouver comes home for a night when sweat is guaranteed to fly.
CHON AND BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME Proggy math rockers CHON coheadline with prog-metallers Between the Buried and Me. Nov 12, 7:30 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $34.50. HIGH ON FIRE AND POWER TRIP American metal bands play a coheadlining show, with guests Devil Master and Creeping Death. Dec 2, 7 pm, Rickshaw Theatre. $26.50. ALLAH-LAHS Rock band from L.A., with guests Mapache & Tim Hill. Dec 8, 9 pm, Commodore Ballroom. $30.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 31 SOCIAL DEVIANTZ Celebrate the vinyl reissue of the 1996 Essential Mental Nutrients album. Jul 31, 6-9 pm, The Boxcar. No cover. SONIC SUMMER NIGHTS Community music festival features performances by Jennifer Hershman, Sarah Wheeler, Rob Butterfield, Jody Glenham, and Sleepy Gonzales. Jul 31, 6-10 pm, Jonathan Rogers Park. THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS & JAMES Rock bands play a coheadlining bill, with guests Dear Boy. Jul 31, 7 pm, Orpheum Theatre. $75/65/50/40. THE BETHS Indie-pop quartet from New Zealand. Jul 31, 9 pm, Biltmore Cabaret. $15. MDOU MOCTAR Tuareg rock band from Niger, with guests JJUUJJUU. Jul 31, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. $20.
c ROB ZOMBIE AND MARILYN MANSON (August 4 at Rogers Arena) Someone—it was either F. Scott Fitzgerald or Count Floyd—once said that there are no second acts in American life. Nineties survivors Zombie and Manson prove them wrong with an arena tour.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7 COAL HARBOUR MUSIC FESTIVAL Featuring performances by the Sojourners, Tonye Aganaba, and Alfie Zappacosta. Aug 7-30, PAL Theatre. Free to $40. MUMFORD & SONS Indie-folk quartet from London, England, with guests Portugal. The Man. Aug 7, 8 pm, BC Place Stadium. $125/99.50/69.50/59.50.
c MUMFORD & SONS (August 7 at BC Place) In which your favourite folk-pop revivalists headline a venue normally reserved for the likes of U2 and the Rolling Stones. This is what mega-stardom looks like.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8 THE WINSTON MATSUSHITA TRIO Keyboardist leads his trio as part of the Summer Jazz on the Porch series. Aug 8, 7-9 pm, Roedde House Museum. Pay what you can. CARMANAH Victoria folk-rock band. Aug 8, 9 pm, Fox Cabaret. Tix on sale Jun 5, 10 am, $15.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10
STEF CHURA Indie-rock singer-songwriter from Detroit. Aug 1, Biltmore Cabaret. THE JINS Vancouver rock trio, with guests Lazy Ghost, Ty Koch, and Whisperdisco. Aug 1-2, 7:30 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. $10. TRI-CONTINENTAL Blues/folk/world music. Aug 1, 8 pm, St. James Hall. $30 ($26 members). THE PACK A.D. Local garage-rockers play a Pride party, with guests Strange Breed and Land Line. Aug 1, 9 pm, Venue. $17/20.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 2
BURNABY BLUES + ROOTS FESTIVAL Performances by Feist, Lord Huron, Dan Mangan, the War and Treaty, William Prince, and Southern Avenue. Aug 10, 1 pm, Deer Lake Park. $50/60/70. KALEIDOSCOPE ARTS FESTIVAL Event includes performances by indie acts Current Swell, Royal Canoe, and Terra Lightfoot. Aug 10, 2-9 pm, Town Centre Park. Free. MUSIC LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on space and editorial discretion. Submit events online using the event-submission form at straight.com/ AddEvent. Events that don’t appear in print due to space constraints will appear on the website.
GOLDEN VESSEL Aussie electropop artist and producer. Aug 3, Biltmore Cabaret. $13. WIDOW’S PEAK Technical death-metal band from Calgary, with guests Exterminatus, Anomalism, Evilosity, and KATG. Aug 3, 7 pm, The Pub 340. $10. DAVID GOGO BAND Blues-rock guitaristvocalist from Nanaimo, with local guest Matt Hoyles. Aug 3, 7:30-10:30 pm, ANZA Club. $42-47. WALK OFF THE EARTH Indie-pop band from Burlington, Ontario. Aug 3, 8 pm, Orpheum Theatre. $69.75/49.75/39.75. CAM BLAKE Local alt-rock/rap artist, with guests Jack Williams, OlliePop, and Hello Victim. Aug 3, 8 pm, Railway Stage and Beer Café. $10.
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TALK MEN OFF GET TALKED OFF 30 THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT AUGUST 1 – 8 / 2019
SAVAGE LOVE
Husband needs to be a real partner by Dan Savage
b I’M A WOMAN who married young (21), and I’ve been with my husband for seven years. Within the last year, I’ve realized that my falling libido probably comes from the fact that I am not turned-on by our boring vanilla sex routine. I get so little fulfillment that I’d rather not even do it. I’ve tried talking to him, but he says he prefers sex without foreplay or a lot of “complicated stuff ”. I had some great casual sex before we met but it turns out I’m into BDSM, which I found out when I recently had a short affair. I’ve kept the secret and guilt to myself, but I have told my husband I’m into BDSM. He wants to make me happy but I can tell he isn’t turned-on doing these things. He denies it, because he’s just happy to have sex at all, but a butt plug and a slap on the ass does not a Dom make. I’ve tried to ask him if we can open up our relationship so that I can live out my fantasies. I would like to go to a BDSM club and he isn’t interested at all. He was very upset and said he’s afraid of losing me if we go. He also felt like I was giving him an ultimatum. I told him he was allowed to say no. When I was younger, I thought there was something wrong with me because everyone else wanted monogamy but it never seemed important to me. I’m not a jealous person, and I wouldn’t mind if he had sex with other people. In fact, the thought of it turns me on, but he says he isn’t interested. I know he loves me and I love him. At this point, my only solution has been
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to suppress this urge to have BDSM sex, but I don’t know if it is a good longterm solution. What should I do? Keep my fantasies to myself? Have another affair or ask him to have an open relationship again? We have a three-yearold daughter, so I have to make our relationship work. - Want the Hard Truth Two quick points before I bring out the
big guns: first, marrying young is a bad idea. The younger that two people are when they marry, according to a veritable mountain of research, the likelier they are to divorce. It makes intuitive sense: the rational part of the brain— the prefrontal cortex—isn’t fully formed until age 25. And with that out of the way… “WTHT might be surprised to hear she is just a normal woman being a normal woman,” said Wednesday Martin, New York Times best-selling author, cultural critic, and researcher. “Like a normal human woman, she is bored after seven years of monogamous sex that isn’t even her kind of sex.” You mentioned that you used to feel like there was something wrong with you, WTHT, but just in case you have any lingering “what’s wrong with me!” feelings, you’re gonna want to read Untrue: Why Nearly Everything We Believe About Women, Lust, and Infidelity Is Wrong and How the New Science Can Set Us Free, Martin’s most recent book. “We know from recent longitud-
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couple, and neither is Martin. There are lots of legitimate reasons why two people might prefer for their relationship to be or remain monogamous. But two people who commit to being sexually exclusive for the rest of their lives and at the same time wanna maintain a satisfying sex life—and, open or closed, couples with satisfying sex lives are likelier to stay together—need to recognize that boredom is their mortal enemy. And while the decision should be mutual, and while ultimatum is a scary word, in some instances bringing in reinforcements isn’t just the best way to fight boredom, it’s the only way to save the relationship. Your husband has to recognize the validity of your desires and put more effort into pleasing you. “In straight culture, people tend to define sex as intercourse, because intercourse is what gets men off, and we still privilege male pleasure,” said Martin. “But seen through a lens of parity, what WTHT wants is not ‘foreplay’ or ‘complicated stuff ’. It’s sex, and the sooner her husband lets go of this intercourse = sex fetish of his and acknowledges that her pleasure matters as much as his does, the sooner he’ll be a real partner.” Date night can mean a visit to a BDSM club where your husband can learn, through observation alone (at least for now), how to be a better Dom. You can find Wednesday Martin on Twitter @WednesdayMartin. You can find her books, blog posts, videos, and more at wednesdaymartin.com. g
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The big issue here is that you got bored. No foreplay? Nothing complicated? Even if you were 100 percent vanilla, that shit would get tedious after a few years. Or minutes. After risking your marriage to treat your boredom (the affair), you asked your husband to shake things up by incorporating BDSM into your sex life, by going to BDSM clubs, and by at least considering the possibility of opening up your marriage. (Ethically this time.) And while he’s made a small effort where BDSM is concerned (butt plugs, slapping your ass), your husband ruled out BDSM clubs and openness. But since he’s only going through the BDSM motions because he’s just “happy to have sex at all”, what he is doing isn’t working for you. It’s probably not working for him, either. At bottom, WTHT, what you’re saying—to me, if not to your husband—is that you’re gonna need to do BDSM with other people if your husband doesn’t get better at it, which is something he might learn to do at the BDSM club he refuses to go to. Which means he has it backwards: he risks losing you if he doesn’t go. “She once put her marriage at risk to get BDSM,” said Martin. “WTHT’s husband doesn’t need to know about the affair, in my view, and he doesn’t need to become the world’s best Dom. But he owes her acknowledgment that her desires matter.” I’m not suggesting that an open relationship is the solution for every bored
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inal studies from Germany, Finland, the U.S., the U.K., and Canada that among women only, relationship duration and living together predict lower desire/boredom,” Martin said. “In fact, the Finnish study found that even when they had more/better orgasms, women in monogamous relationships of several years’ duration reported low desire.” A straight man’s desire for his long-term, live-in female partner also decreases over time, but nowhere near as drastically as a woman’s does. “Contrary to what we’ve been taught, monogamy kills it for women, in the aggregate, more than it does for men,” said Martin. That’s what the research shows— but very few people in the sex-advice industrial complex have wrestled with the implications. They continue to tell unhappily sexless couples either that they’re doing something wrong or that they’re broken. If he would just do housework or if she would just have a glass of wine—or pop a “female Viagra” if big pharma could come up with one that works, which (spoiler alert) they never will—they’d be fucking like they did the night they met. Not only isn’t this advice helpful, it’s harmful: he does more housework, she drinks more wine, nothing changes, and the couple feels like there’s something wrong with them. In reality, nothing’s wrong. It’s not about a more equitable division of housework or drinking more wine; it’s about the desire for novelty, variety, and adventure.
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