07/16/2018
This ‘street art’ is an example of postmodern urban artists creating value and meaning by sampling from itself - remixing urban history.
Great cultural development happens when urban textures are woven back in to a city’s narrative - like remixing a song.
For this is more than just an example of art in a city fawning over its own reflection, it’s evidence of the ‘Lemonade from the Lemons..”, or even the sweet liquor from the bubbling still of Downtown Night culture. So far, the connection seems far from tenuous - almost pat.
The message delivered is certainly simple: Nightclubs, Pubs, Restaurants and Lounges open past midnight are “...the breathing lungs and even the heart of ...[the city]...”
“...Heck, we’re of the mind that Nightlife is City Art of the highest order. The actual root of all art in a city comes from meeting and celebrating and sharing - Nightlife is the Where and the When to Art’s Why? “...and is a source of money and an outlet for creative expression for chefs, DJs, bartenders, dancers, gallery owners, music producers and graphic artists - that has no peer or replacement. ...”. he opines.
“Protecting it then - or even more, making Downtown clubs a destination again for our increasingly suburban youth - only makes sense.”
“Late-Night Subway, Tube, EL or Skytrain access - rapid transit into the downtown Core all hours of day or night is on the horizon and great cities across Europe have recently embraced this fact and have appointed Night Czars or Night Mayors to manage and improve access to their Downtown Nightlife - Vancouver needs to do the same.” says Jasper Morgan, 24HourVancouver’s instigator and pitch man.
He’s clearly hoping to get this issue out in front of Candidates and the Voting public ahead of this Fall’s election.
And he just might succeed at that.
“What with the Housing Affordability crisis serving as the monotone drumbeat for most candidates, all other issues go undiscussed....” he says.
He may be right that this city deserves leadership that can address all of the issues facing a city - seeing as no one actually expects them to ‘fix Housing.’ Might as we’ll tackle some other issues while we’re waiting.
“They’re like deer in the headlights...” as we like to say here in BC - “frozen in place as the Housing Crisis barrels toward them.”
“This City, this Election is more than a One Issue stare-down, some of this other stuff needs fixing too.” Jasper adds.
“Our issue is actually a nicely packaged solution: tried, tested and implemented successfully by so many of Europe’s cultural centres recently that it’s hardly a risky proposition.”
Quite the opposite.”
Maybe - with its Fix Granville - and all DT nightlife - pitch, will resonate with voters simply tired of the hopefuls overpromising rhetoric on housing - or at least get on their radar.
He’s even toyed with running for Council on the Night Czar platform: “...well, it’s really the best way to get the job done, innit?” he says - in a sudden cockney twang.
“Getting on Council, I mean....Also we need a Ward System.”
Hard to argue with any of it.
