WHAT: Screening of NFB film “Chairs for Lovers”
WHEN: Monday, October 15, 7:00-10:00 p.m.
WHERE: Art Gallery of Vancouver
COST: Free, but you need to sign-up to attend due to limited space available
LINKS: You can register here and visit the City’s Robson Sq. website
Every block in downtown Vancouver has an associated number. The block bounded by the streets Robson, Howe, Hornby and Georgia is known as Block 51. Two important consultations about this area are taking place on this block: 800-block Robson Street and the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza.
We want to hear from you. Join us at two public events to explore the history and importance of this block. Learn about innovative public spaces from other cities and offer your thoughts on what future uses 800-block Robson and the Vancouver Art Gallery North Plaza can accommodate. Your participation will help shape the future of this central area, and your ideas will be brought to City Council this fall and given to the designer for the North Plaza.
On Monday night, Spacing (in partnership with the City of Vancouver and the Art Gallery of Vancouver) will be screening the 1973 National Film Board film “Chairs for Lovers” by Barry Howells that will be followed by a panel with members of the original team for Robson Square will set the context of how this block came to be what we see today.
In this documentary short, Vancouver architect Stanley King demonstrates his method for involving the public in urban design. Called the “draw-in/design-in”, the method is applied to a downtown Vancouver area slated for redevelopment. How can it be made to best serve the needs of the people who will use it? Here, sketches prepared by students and refined by adults are used to guide city planners.
Spacing publisher Matthew Blackett will be in town taking part in both of these events. The new national edition of Spacing will also be available to all those who attend.