Urban Ink’s 2021-22 season has been announced, featuring a dynamic hybrid program adapting to the ever-changing world with digital and in-person performances. Urban Ink’s mission is to uplift Indigenous and diverse artists through storytelling and performance, and create exciting opportunities that propel works in a new expanded direction.
Urban Ink’s 2021-22 Season
The season kicks off with the return of TRANSFORM Cabaret Festival, an Urban Ink & The Cultch partnership scheduled from September 23 to October 2, 2021. Groundbreaking in every way, the TRANSFORM Cabaret Festival consists of seven explosive days of bold, uncompromising, political, and interactive performances in a hybrid format taking it to the next level.
The festival is a platform for IBPOC artists to share their stories, featuring local and international Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in a variety of styles including theatre, music, drag, burlesque, circus, comedy, and everything in between.
Each show has a line-up of extraordinary collaborating artists that range from Sido Adamson and Cris Derksen’s circus mixed with Indigenous classical music, to The Candy Show with special guests Canadian rockstar Tom Wilson, Whose Line Is It Anyway? comic Colin Mochrie and the legendary Buffy Sainte-Marie, plus family fun with critically acclaimed cabaret star Le Gateau Chocolat and so much more.
Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound, an area renowned for its rich Indigenous culture, biodiversity and distinct geography, has become Canada’s 19th UNESCO Biosphere Region, the International Coordinating Council for the Man and Biosphere Programme (“MAB-ICC”).
Top: Chief Mamquam and Garibaldi – Steve Quane, Fire & Ice Geopark / Bottom: Diving Glass Sponge Reef-Adam Taylor
New Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound UNESCO Biosphere Region
As jurisdictions around the globe face the profound impacts of habitat loss and climate change, the Átl’ka7tsem/Howe Sound Biosphere Region (“AHSBR”) is an international showcase for how regional coordination can create a place for humanity and nature to thrive.
“My hope is that it will effectively bring all communities in Átl’ka7tsem together for effective decision making but also to help people get out on the Land. Building that connection, to the territory and the Land, will help people better honour and to respect the environment but also the Life that lives in that environment,” says Joyce Williams, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw Councillor and Co-Chair of Howe Sound Biosphere Region Initiative Society Board.
“Átl’ka7tsem is really about beauty and hope, as much as it is about sustainable development.”
The Biosphere Region, located on the territories of the Coast Salish people, covers a 218,723-hectare swath of land and sea encompassing the entire Howe Sound watershed. Its zoning boundaries begin near Point Atkinson (Sḵ’íw̓itsut) in West Vancouver, running north to Black Tusk (T’eḵt’aḵmúy̓in tl’a In7iny̓áx̱a7en) near Whistler, and as far west as Gower Point on the Sunshine Coast. The core protected area traverses five BC Provincial Parks, one BC Provincial Conservancy, and several marine refuges. AHSBR is dotted by many iconic landmarks; such as Mt. Garibaldi (Nch’ḵay̓), a diamond-shaped peak towering over the Squamish landscape.
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by Rebecca BollwittDisclosure: Review — Our stay was compliments of the Westin Bayshore. Views and opinions are my own. Please review the Policy & Disclosure section for further information.
The thing about a Westin Bayshore Staycation is that even though you’re so close to every major thing in the heart of the city (galleries, shops, restaurants, theatres, attractions) it feels like a true resort getaway.
Westin Bayshore Staycation
John and I were sitting on the H2 Restaurant patio, fresh sea air rustling in the trees making strings of light dance in the late evening sun. It was a Wednesday evening and we were within 3km of home in Downtown Vancouver, but it felt like we were some place far away. I mean, we love home, but I know we’ve all seen a lot of our own homes over the last 18 months. It was a lovely break where our stress just melted away, just for the evening, like the caramel-drizzled gelato that topped the warm brownie we had for dessert.
The Westin Bayshore has everything you might want out of a resort: Two pools (one inside and one adjacent to the Seawall in the courtyard), a spa, fitness centre, a shop, coffee bar, a restaurant, a lounge, and more. And did I mention the views? You’ll either be looking west towards the courtyard and Stanley Park, or east across Coal Harbour with city and sunrise view like no other.
There’s also the signature Westin Heavenly Bed® which always lives up to its name. Other room amenities were handy, and I did appreciate the option of a wired internet connection on the desk along with WiFi, and straight USB chargers. I also liked that the windows opened. During our early September stay the Air Conditioning wasn’t crucial so I slid the floor-to-ceiling windows apart to let in a cool breeze and listen to ambient harbour soundscape.
The best part about this Westin Bayshore staycation is that… I get to share it with you! Well, not literally – I won’t be there – but one lucky Miss604 reader/follower will win their own getaway!
Enter to Win
I’m giving away a one-night stay in a Deluxe Harbour View Guest Room at the Westin Bayshore! Here are some of the many ways you can enter to win:
Save & share this post on Instagram stories tagging @WestinBayshore + @H2TastingLounge + @H2Restaurant @Miss604 (1 entry)
Copy/paste the text below on Twitter (1 entry)
[clickToTweet tweet=”RT to enter to win a @WestinBayshore staycation! Enjoy a relaxing one night getaway in the heart of the city this fall http://ow.ly/sHXg50Gay8e” quote=” Click to enter via Twitter” theme=”style6″]
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 6:00pm on Wednesday, September 22, 2021. Subject to availability and open to all residents of Canada. UPDATE: The winner is… Bonnie S.!
Fort Langley’s Grave Tales tours return this season, with spine-chilling stories told you walk through the Fort Langley village at night.
Fort Langley’s Grave Tales Tour
No tours on October 31. Tours are offered in English. One French tour is available on October 27, 2021 at 8:00pm. Masks are mandatory for guests. Physical distancing is to be maintained at all times. Tours will be outdoors, guests are asked to dress appropriately for the weather and to wear proper footwear.
Two Hour Tours at 6:00pm: These tours are the only ones where youth 17 and under are permitted, accompanied by a parent or guardian. Offered Friday to Sunday, October 15 to November 7, 2021. Tickets are $17.
Two Hour Tours at 7:00pm & 8:00pm: For adults age 18 and over. Offered Wednesday to Sunday, October 15 to November 7, 2021. Tickets are $22.00.
Three Hour Tours at 9:00pm: For adults age 18 and over. Offered Wednesday to Sunday, October 15 to November 7, 2021. Tickets are $29.30.
During the two-hour Grave Tales historic walking tours, heritage interpreters tell tales of misfortune in Fort Langley’s streets, cemeteries, and inside the Hudson’s Bay Company fort. Tickets are now available by calling (604) 513-4824 or in person at the Fort Langley National Historic Site visitor centre.
There’s a new outdoor animation exhibition coming to Surrey’s city centre. Flavourcel animation collective presents “I Spy A City” which will be featured at UrbanScreen at the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre September 25, 2021−January 2, 2022. Ahead of the exhibition launch, Flavourcel artists will give a free talk at the Surrey Art Gallery on September 18th.
Flavourcel, I Spy a City at UrbanScreen, 2021. Photo by Brian Giebelhaus.
Flavourcel’s I Spy a City in Surrey
When: September 25, 2021−January 2, 2022 Where: Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre (13458 107A Ave, Surrey) Admission: No registration is required for the talk. No admission required for the outdoor exhibition.
For the talk at the gallery, masks are required for those over 12 years old. There will be a vaccination screening prior to entry. Space is limited to ensure physical distancing.
UrbanScreen is Surrey Art Gallery’s outdoor art projection venue located on the west wall of Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre. Riffing on the classic children’s game “I spy,” Flavourcel’s project captures different sights from across Whalley and the broader Surrey region in animated form. Each member of the collective specializes in a different form of animation, including hand-drawn, digital, and even clay. The result is an eclectic mix of moving artworks with a mesmerizing effect, starring flying cars, swimming salmon, and dancing street furniture.
During the talk on September 18th, Alia Hijaab, Lana Connors, and Josh Neu will speak about how the project came together, as well as their unique approach to animation. Visitors will learn more about how each member interpreted their own experience of Surrey to inform their artistic process and how the collective has come to forge their own distinctive identity in the local contemporary art community.
In conjunction with the exhibition and the talk, Surrey Art Gallery has released a new video in its Art Togetherseries of online programming. Flavourcel member Alia Hijaab instructs viewers on how to make their own pencil and paper animations at home. This video joins two other tutorials from Flavourcel members available on the Gallery’s’ YouTube channel, including Introductions to 1-Page Animation Loops with Joshua Neu and Wire-Frame Animation with Julia Song. A new essay by writer and cultural worker Madison Mayhew in the Surrey Art Gallery Presents publication will complement the exhibition. It will be available for free on Surrey Art Gallery’s website in October.
Visitors are encouraged to remain after the artist talk to attend the drop-in launch of the Gallery’s fall exhibitions:q̓ʷɑti̓cɑ: k̓ʷam̓k̓ʷəm̓ tə šxʷhəliʔ / Phyllis Atkins: Divine Connection, paintings and sculptures drawn from Coast Salish tradition that celebrate the artist’s connection to life and spirit and Sandeep Johal: What If?, multimedia artworks that uplift resilient South Asian women.
About the Artists
Flavourcel is an animation collective based in the unceded Coast Salish territories. Born out of a desire to break down the institutional barriers that limit animators and introduce play into their work, Flavourcel produces experimental animations in a variety of styles. From hand-drawn cell-shading to digital doodles, music videos, and gifs, each artist pushes the boundaries of the medium and challenges the preconceptions of how animated art should be made. Flavourcel includes Harlo Martens, Kat Morris, Josh Neu, Julia Song, Alia Hijaab, Chhaya Naran, Gil Goletski, Laurel Pucker, Lana Connors, and Chris Strickler.
