Browsing “Metro Vancouver”

PROVOKE, ENGAGE, ANIMATE. Our vision at the Museum of Vancouver (MOV) is to hold a mirror up to the city and lead provocative conversations about its past, present, and future. Linking the historical record and the living experiences of its visitors to what is happening socially, politically, and culturally NOW; we honour the material culture of the city: mixing history, archaeology, visual arts, design, architecture, urban planning, music, performance, new media, design, fashion, popular culture, and photography. Check us out on our blog, talk to us on Twitter, or stay up to date through Facebook.

Talking about apps has been a big thing in the museum world lately – how do you use technology to engage visitors? How can you enhance a historical or artistic experience? What is the role of the museum in using technology to further their mission?

Some museums, like the Guggenheim, launched into the forefront of app development, taking the risk for the rest of us, spending years developing an app that later became irrelevant. Others, like the Museum of London, came in a bit later, developing their street museum only to discover
that it actually increased attendance to their physical location.

When the MOV launched Neon Vancouver | Ugly Vancouver (our neon sign exhibition here at our Kitsilano building) it sparked an unprecedented flow of stories from Vancouverites that
signaled how deeply enmeshed the city’s neon is with local history and ourcivic identity.

Of course, telling the stories of some of Vancouver’s most iconic signs — like the Vogue, Save-On-Meats, or The Orpheum — by bringing them into the MOV wasn’t an option (they’re still in use, and they’re so large they wouldn’t even fit in the building!). So we dreamt up the next best thing: a virtual exhibition and mobile app that would share 40+ stories about 50+ signs and use augmented reality technology to help with the visuals.

At the end of 2011 — with some much appreciated federal funding from Heritage Canada (Virtual Museums Canada) in hand — Hanna Cho, the MOV’s Curator of Dialogue & Engagement, rolled up her sleeves and began work with a talented team of archival researchers, visual storytellers, and interactive producers to create The Visible City.

Just 18 months later we’re thrilled to be releasing an app that is the first of its kind in North America. It takes augmented reality to the streets, and provides countless historical photos, audio stories, and contemporary insights from notable Vancouverites like Dal Richards (legendary big band leader), Vancouver punk icon Joe Keithley of DOA, architect Gregory
Henriquez, and Judy Graves, Vancouver’s advocate for the homeless.

The exhibition traces the rise, fall, and revival of neon in Vancouver, and enables people to explore the rich social and cultural histories associated with the signs. While there are hundreds of neon stories that pepper our city’s historical and contemporary landscape we couldn’t
possibly include them all (there were, after all, an estimated 19,000 signs in the 60s). We ended up focusing on some key signs and stories that illustrate the role of neon in Vancouver’s civic evolution. Do you think we’re missing a sign? We encourage you to add your own photos to the Flickr pool!

We hope you’ll download the app, take one of the two tours with a friend, and contribute your own impressions, stories, and photos to the exhibition!

The app is free to download from iTunes or GooglePlay, or to view online at www.thevisiblecity.ca .

Nicholson Road is an ongoing photo project aimed at sharing and celebrating the different communities in Metro Vancouver. Each week Vancouver Is Awesome will be featuring an image from the previous week, shot in one of the many ‘hoods around town in order to draw your attention a little bit outside of the hyper-focus that we usually have on the City of Vancouver. Metro Vancouver Is Awesome, and you should get out and explore it!

You guys! We did it! Week #100, and we’ve visited each of the incorporated municipalities in Metro Vancouver! Although I normally like to give you a sweet start to the week by posting my visits to the communities in the Metro on Mondays, I just had to wait for the summer sun to come out before making my first visit to beautiful Bowen Island. And I’m so happy I did! (for more photos of my afternoon on Bowen Island, check out my flickr set)

Bowen Island is located just off West Vancouver, at the mouth of Howe Sound. I like to think of it as the gatekeeper of the Sound, since it’s pretty much halfway between West Van and Gibsons. Incorporated as a municipality on December 4th, 1999, Bowen Island, the “happy isle”, has earned its reputation as a laid-back island retreat. The population of around 3,400 is largely comprised of artists, with a good dose of what I’ll call “high-society rural” residents (those who can afford the good life, but appreciate the simplicity of island living).

If you’re curious, the island was given its name in 1860 by British naval surveyor George Richards in honour of Rear Admiral James Bowen.

I must say, if you’ve never visited Bowen Island, you really are missing out. Big time. The island is so ridiculously quiet and relaxed, and about half of the island (approximately the size of Manhattan Island, I’m told) is dedicated to natural park space. Their slogan: “Within Reach. Beyond Comparison” absolutely rang true for me, and the best surprise? You don’t need a ticket to get back on the ferry to come home!

Now.

Hopefully I’ve been able to teach you a thing or two about Metro Vancouver over these past 100 weeks? If not, here’s a little map of where we’ve been!

I hope you’ve enjoyed following my adventures throughout Metro Vancouver each week. Now feels like a good time to take a break and start planning some new projects to share, but the archives of my posts, and the gallery on Nicholson Rd, Daily will remain live for as long as there’s an interest in learning about Metro Vancouver.

So do me a favour and get out and explore the Metro on your own! The weather is right, and you know where to go! Have an AWESOME summer, Suncouver!

Archives of the Nicholson Road project can be found HERE.

Nicholson Road is an ongoing photo project aimed at sharing and celebrating the different communities in Metro Vancouver. Each week Vancouver Is Awesome will be featuring an image from the previous week, shot in one of the many ‘hoods around town in order to draw your attention a little bit outside of the hyper-focus that we usually have on the City of Vancouver.Metro Vancouver Is Awesome, and you should get out and explore it!

Oh hello, Vancouver!

If you’ve never been up to the lookout on Cypress Mountain on a beautiful, sunny day, you need to get your calendar out and make it happen. The Cypress Bowl Road Lookout, about halfway up the mountain in Cypress Provincial Park, is an excellent spot to stop and enjoy lunch in the summer, while taking in some of the best views of Metro Vancouver.

From this one spot you can see all the way across North and West Vancouver, Burrard Inlet, Stanley Park, Downtown Vancouver, and out to the southern end of Vancouver, Richmond, and Delta. You can even spot Orcas Island and a few other San Juan Islands. Look further east and you can see Burnaby, glimpses of Coquitlam and New West, and Surrey with Mt. Baker rising in the background. It’s phenomenal to say the least.

But Robert, you say, I don’t have a car and my legs aren’t up to cycling all the way up the mountain. No worries, the folks at Gigapixel Panorama Photography have a crazy panorama of the view: Enjoy!

Archives of the Nicholson Road project can be found HERE.

Nicholson Road is an ongoing photo project aimed at sharing and celebrating the different communities in Metro Vancouver. Each week Vancouver Is Awesome will be featuring an image from the previous week, shot in one of the many ‘hoods around town in order to draw your attention a little bit outside of the hyper-focus that we usually have on the City of Vancouver. Metro Vancouver Is Awesome, and you should get out and explore it!

As the northern-most incorporated municipality in Metro Vancouver, the Village of Lions Bay is off the radar for most of us. Its resident population is second only to Belcarra as the smallest in the metro, with around 1,300 residents (compared to less than 700 in Belcarra). I’m willing to guess the most involvement many of you have had with the village is reading its name on the exit signs on your way up to Whistler via the Sea to Sky.

Get into the village and you’ll find there isn’t too much more to discover, apart from some absolutely beautiful residential architecture, a few bus stops, the Lions Bay General Store and Cafe, an art gallery, library, post office, and a couple small businesses. Venture down to the water and you’ll find two beach parks and the Lions Bay Marina.

This quiet, residential hillside village atmosphere is largely why the residents love it so much. It’s the type of place where you can go for a stroll down to the beach every morning, striking up conversations with neighbours following the same routine. It’s small enough to maintain a really strong community, and large enough to allow for a bit of diversity, though many of the residents are artists and musicians (CBC favourite Colin James is one of them!)

And to think, you can live in a secluded, forested village, winding up the side of a mountain (the village gets its name from the twin peaks guarding over it to the east), and still be about a 30 minute drive from one of Canada’s major cities (and arguably the most awesome!) Beautiful. Just beautiful.

Archives of the Nicholson Road project can be found HERE.

Nicholson Road is an ongoing photo project aimed at sharing and celebrating the different communities in Metro Vancouver. Each week Vancouver Is Awesome will be featuring an image from the previous week, shot in one of the many ‘hoods around town in order to draw your attention a little bit outside of the hyper-focus that we usually have on the City of Vancouver. Metro Vancouver Is Awesome, and you should get out and explore it!

Buntzen Lake! The name is probably more familiar than that of the village surrounding it, Anmore.

One of the smallest municipalities in Metro Vancouver, Anmore is home to just over 2,000 people. Though early Metro Vancouverites began to settle the area during the early part of the 20th century as a sort of rural suburb to Port Moody and the Ioco townsite, the Village of Anmore wasn’t incorporated until 1987 (after fending off offers to annex with Belcarra and Port Moody).

Interesting tidbit: in the late 70s, after the area had previously been marked for dense urban development in the 50s and 60s, the Anmore Advanced Development Plan was drawn up to facilitate subdivision of lots throughout the community and to enhance the road network. The goal was to make room for 15,000 people. The residents of Anmore had no interest in urbanizing to that degree, and the plan was ultimately shot down.

Interesting tidbit #2: Bob Hunter grew up in Anmore before going on to become a founding member, and the first president of Greenpeace!

Interesting tidbit #3: Buntzen Lake is Awesome!

Archives of the Nicholson Road project can be found HERE.

Nicholson Road is an ongoing photo project aimed at sharing and celebrating the different communities in Metro Vancouver. Each week Vancouver Is Awesome will be featuring an image from the previous week, shot in one of the many ‘hoods around town in order to draw your attention a little bit outside of the hyper-focus that we usually have on the City of Vancouver. Metro Vancouver Is Awesome, and you should get out and explore it!

Remember the BC Spirit Square program created to help communities in BC build or enhance public squares? A few months ago we looked at this one in Langley’s Douglas Park. This week I ventured out to Haney, in downtown Maple Ridge to take a look at Maple Ridge Memorial Peace Park, which received a beautiful new facelift in 2009 thanks to the Spirit Square program!

The park is home to the cenotaph pictured above, as well as the stunning bandstand built in 1994 with all sorts of acoustical wizardry designed into the diffuser ceiling. In the summer months, the park is home to a variety of events including the Haney Farmers Market, the Caribbean Festival, Bard on the Bandstand, the former Maple Ridge Jazz & Blues Festival, and the annual musical/fundraising event to promote breast cancer awareness, Breastfest.

Maple Ridge, you’re pretty swell.

Archives of the Nicholson Road project can be found HERE.