With the new province-wide B.C. lockdown restrictions in place, many in-person cultural events have been curtailed or cancelled and several events have moved online. Adhere to COVID-19 protocols and maintain social distancing when going out – stay at home if you are feeling sick. Stay safe everyone and let’s get through this!
* * *
Context is Everything: Monique Martin
April 24–June 5
In Context is Everything, on display at the Seymour Art Gallery, Saskatoon-based artist Monique Martin exhibits hundreds of realistic paper dandelions in a sprawling installation that carpets the gallery floor. They create an immersive environment that uses symbolism to inspire joy, hope, and optimism. Sometimes considered a weed, dandelions defy the order imposed around them; a golden infringement on a carefully manicured lawn, a cheerful intervention in a crack in the sidewalk, a silent protest against monoculture, disrupting the status quo. Martin’s dandelions are a hopeful symbol of resilience that encourage us to persevere. Interspersed among her dandelions are multicoloured silk screened butterflies, a symbol of metamorphosis in Martin’s work. She reminds us that throughout our lives, we too are in a constant process of transformation, and that tomorrow we will not be the same as we are today.
* * *
International Dance Day 2021
April 29, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Initiated in 1982 by UNESCO, International Dance Day is marked annually on April 29 across Canada and around the world. The Dance Centre’s annual International Dance Day events move online for 2021, celebrating the art of dance through a program of digital events. There will be six short dance films, a discussion exploring ideas of the traditional and contemporary in dance and an informal sharing of work by contemporary dance artists and choreographers using Instagram Live. For more information and list of events and performers, please check out the Dance Centre’s website.
* * *
Kutapira
April 29, 7 p.m.
Kutapira is a marimba and percussion ensemble formed in 2005 in East Vancouver. The band is made up of five musicians, ages 25 – 30, who started playing this fusion of world music when they were kids over 15 years ago. At the core of this band is the marimba music of Zimbabwe, fused with West African djembe, Afro-cuban congas and timbales and traditional drum kit which provides a steady driving groove. There will also be a pre-recorded dance performance by Amber Funk Barton/the response: How To Say Goodbye. For tickets and more information, check out the Shadbolt Centre’s website.
* * *
Shakespeare Beyond the Proscenium
April 30, 12 noon
For many, a night of Shakespeare is the archetypical Western theatre experience – but these artists draw from a variety of inspirations to take the classics beyond the proscenium. In this online webinar hosted by Bard on the Beach, hear from Eva Barrie (former co-Artistic Director of Toronto’s Shakespeare in the Ruff), Rodrigo Beilfuss (Artistic Director of Winnipeg’s Shakespeare in the Ruins) and Christopher Gaze (founding Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach) about accessibility, art and making art in the great outdoors.
* * *
Carmen: Up Close and Personal
May 1, 7:30 p.m.
Inspired by French arthouse film, stage director Brenna Corner adds a nontraditional lens to French composer Georges Bizet’s beloved masterpiece. Playing with the conflicting ideas of fate and choice, Carmen: Up Close and Personal is an alluring, intimate and stripped down cinematic adaptation, focused on the four principal characters, with a few twists and turns along the way. Starring members of the Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program with members of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. For tickets and more information, please check out the opera’s website.
* * *
iHuman
May 3–5
The Kay Meek Arts Centre will be streaming iHuman to Canadian audiences from May 3 to 5. iHuman is a political thriller about artificial intelligence, power and social control. With unique deep access to the booming industry this film shows how the most powerful and far-reaching technology of our time is changing our lives, our society and our future. iHuman follows pioneers at the frontline of the invisible AI revolution to see how this technology is developed and implemented. Through some of the brightest minds in the AI industry iHuman draws the roadmap to where we are going. Who punches in what codes for our future? How does AI impact who we are? Please visit the arts centre website for tickets and more information.
* * *
Exploring Asian Heritage in Vancouver
May 6, 5–6 p.m.
www.asia.ubc.ca/events/event/exploring-asian-heritage-in-vancouver
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, heritage means features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages or buildings, that were created in the past and still have historical importance. Through a virtual panel conversation, members of the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society would like to explore the significance of Asian Heritage Month to Asian-Canadians today living in Vancouver. This virtual event will feature a moderator and four panelists who will respond to various pre-recorded audio, video and written submissions from UBC and Vancouver community members who have self-recorded responses to a series of questions.
* * *
The Boy in the Moon
May 6–9
Based on Canadian journalist Ian Brown’s memoir of life with his son, The Boy in the Moon, live streaming from The Cultch, tells a deeply moving story about a family’s struggle to raise a child with a severe disability. Ian and Johanna Schneller’s son Walker was born with a rare genetic disorder, Cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome. It made him unable to talk, eat properly, or take care of himself. The family must face complex issues most of us do our very best to avoid. They say things which in other contexts might seem unforgivable but here are brave and critically necessary. The show is a story of pain and beauty that asks vital questions about family, frailty and the values we ascribe to human lives, our own and those around us.
* * *
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
May 6–16
DOXA is celebrating its 20th Anniversary Festival this May! That’s 20 years of championing documentary cinema that is curious, inventive and bold. Between May 6–16, you will be able to watch all films in the DOXA 2021 film program from the comfort of your own home. Films will be available to watch on-demand for the duration of the aforementioned festival dates. Select screenings will include pre-recorded filmmaker Q+As and extended discussions. Please see the film description on the festival website for more information.
