Spontaneous Street Poetry, returns this year following the successful debut in 2022. Poet, writer and activist Gilles Cyrenne leads three days of responsive writing from the sidewalk outside Carnegie.
9th Symposium on Reconciliation & Redress in the Arts, brings together Coast Salish, local and national urban Indigenous cultural leaders to share lessons, build settler and Indigenous solidarity practices, and create training opportunities for settlers and migrants who seek to practice place-based redress in the arts and culture context. Presented with Voor Urban Labs and Coast Salish Culture Network.
Leanne Simpson: Listening in Our Present Moment, a public talk with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, renowned Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer and artist who uses Nishnaabeg consciousness to dismantle the present moment. Presented with SFU Office of Community Engagement.
Once Upon a Time in Chinatown, an evening of original Chynatruckfunk music by the 'Son of James' rock band that holds a light on the Vancouver Chinatown's pandemic experience, honours its resistance and resilience, and celebrates Chinese Canadian identity. Narration by Elwin Xie and Shon Wong.
Battle of Ballantyne Pier, a new musical about the 1935 Vancouver longshore workers’ strike, and the bloody confrontation known in Canadian labour history as the ‘Battle of Ballantyne Pier’. Book by Sherry MacDonald, songs by Thomas Jones, Sherry MacDonald and Russell Wallace.
We Live Here II, a breathtaking large-scale outdoor installation of hyper-speed videos projected onto the wall of a local building, featuring new artwork by Downtown Eastside artists inspired by the phrase “we live here”. Produced by Radix Theatre, with curator Gunargie O’Sullivan.
The Homeless Project, led by guitarist and composer Tony Wilson, is a multimedia presentation that incorporates original music, film and narration, hoping to shine a light on the serious housing struggles people face in the Downtown Eastside and across Canada.
Smokey Devil – Underworld Street Reporter, this insightful and engaging film by Nathaniel Canuel focuses on the life of Smokey D, a locally-renowned Downtown Eastside icon and artist known for his murals that depict memorials, the toxic drug crisis, MMIWG2S and other issues.
Etuaptmumk / Two-eyed Ways of Being & Seeing, a series of cultural gatherings that bring together Indigenous knowledge holders, environmental activists, academics and community to address environmental destruction, climate change and justice. Guided by Rosemary Georgeson and Lara Aysal, produced by The Only Animal with Firehall Arts Centre and Vancouver Moving Theatre.
