Hollywood & Vine. Haight & Ashbury. Portage & Main. Davie & Denman. Great cities are composed of great intersections. Recognizable outside of their city limits, these spaces play host to significant historical events, define the cultural fabric of a place, and are the meeting point for diverse groups of people.
Seven graphic designers have teamed up with the Canada Line Public Art Program to present Intersections, a new exhibition inside Waterfront Station. The show explores seven essential Vancouver cross-streets with large-format posters created by 10four Design, Glasfurd and Walker, Post Projects, Seterah Shamdani, State Creative, Working Format, and Zach Bulick.
Vancouver Is Awesome is featuring interviews with all of the seven participating designers.
Interview with Glasfurd & WalkerWhat do you do? What are you currently working on?
We are a boutique design studio that specializes in identity design, artistic direction and brand creation. We're currently working on a range of projects spanning food and hospitality, fashion, arts and culture.
Tell us more about your thoughts or relationship to the geographic intersection you worked with for the Intersections exhibition.
The Main & Hastings intersection has a lot of history. Over time it has transitioned from being the heart of the city to the heart of the Downtown Eastside – now famously known for its poverty, crime, drug use and homelessness. Yet despite this, there is beauty to be found – the kindness of people, the architectural landscape and daily interactions. With the Intersections exhibition being a celebration of the city we wanted to carefully consider this history and how it was represented.
What was your approach in designing the poster?
We aimed to create an abstract composition that made people stop and think. We chose a pigeon, a permanent resident at this intersection, as a metaphor for seeing beauty in the overlooked, forgotten and everyday. We wanted it to become a symbol of hope for a neighbourhood in need of much love.
Intersections is part of Platform Gallery, an online archive of exhibitions inviting Vancouver-based designers to celebrate and critique the city we live in. Past and present exhibitions are shown at Waterfront Station’s Canada Line platform and produced in collaboration with the Canada Line Public Art Program. Visit Platform Gallery on Facebook and Twitter and be sure to check out Intersections for yourself!
