I love this picture.

I guess that’s an obvious statement to make but I strongly feel that it exemplifies the key themes that we want to emphasize with the Bhangra Project.

At the top of the picture is the skyline of Downtown Vancouver and this situates the “place” of our historical endeavour.  What is it about Vancouver (or the idea of Vancouver?) that has influenced Bhangra and made its performance and music different from other parts of the world? How has the city affected and been affected by the story of Bhangra?  What makes Bhangra in Vancouver unique?

This also sets a scope for the project.  It includes today’s Vancouver but our also speaks historically to the downtown area, East Vancouver, South Vancouver, Main Street, Gastown, Chinatown, Commercial Drive, Kerrisdale, Oakridge, UBC and past Boundary Road into Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby and beyond. It speaks to the diverse “soundscapes” and dance forms that are produced here and internationally.  Wherever the music and dance go, it takes Vancouver with it.

The second element is the gorgeous archival picture in the possession of Mr. Paul Binning of PAAR Club.  It features an image of Shaminder Grewal who was a dancer from the Sialkot region of Punjab, Pakistan.  There’s an element of youth and exuberance in his pose that evokes that iconic idea of Bhangra with which many of us are familiar.

As a historical artifact I can’t help but focus on unique elements: the curved stick decorated with various studs, the vest decorated with hearts, his hoop earring, and especially the half moon design that he’s drawn over his right eye.  There’s so many questions I have about this picture too: Why was it taken? Where was it taken? Was it for a competition? An ad? And some questions that are just fun to ask: what colour is his vest, turban and ring, for instance?

A part of me thinks these ambiguities allow our imagination to fill in the blanks and (more importantly) leave spaces for discussion and dialogue.

The lower third is something central to the way we’re researching our project.  The female hand seems to contemplate the picture and skyline together and rather than being voyeurs, it incorporates us (the viewer) into the discussion, too.  How do we situate ourselves with the past of Bhangra in Vancouver?  What parts of if do we highlight? What elements resonate with us?  A key facet of this exhibition is to include as many voices as possible in telling the story of Bhangra in Vancouver and female practitioners as well as DJ’s, singers, musicians & Bhangra lovers are integral to this story.

So that’s my opinion of the Project Image.  I guess I could talk for hours about it (does it seem like I have?) but what does it evoke for you?  Is it an engaging picture? Does it raise questions? Does it answer questions?

Naveen Girn is currently a cultural researcher on the Bhangra.me Exhibit which looks at the history of Bhangra in Vancouver and opens May 2011. You can learn more about the project by following his blog and twitter.

Part of the justification for the current car-free experiment on Granville is the City’s desire to revitalize the area and encourage more people to use the space. However, Granville was far from empty before. The street already has a lot of animation and life, just perhaps not the most desirable kind.

From the 90s onwards city zoning encouraged the location of a high volume of bars and nightclubs on Granville Street, transforming it into an entertainment district. It has a relatively stable nighttime population of pub and concertgoers.

This demographic is much maligned, occasionally the target of news stories that focus on the challenges of policing the area. Most of these people are reportedly young and from the suburbs. Fights, public drunkenness, weapons and gang activity are frequently problems in the area, leading business owners to engage in controversial programs such as Bar Watch.

However, Rediscover Granville’s entertainment lineup reveals that the City is attempting to attract a different, more family-friendly demographic to the area. Whether this new group is compatible with the pre-existing culture of the street remains to be seen.

At the moment, the two populations seem segregated - one inhabits the street north of Robson and the other to the south, and at night they’re very different places. The programmed activities seem to take place mainly between Dunsmuir and Robson and don’t seem to be aimed at changing the culture of the entertainment district.

In a sense, the same separation was visible during the Olympics. The street between Dunsmuir and Robson was filled with lanterns and public art, and attracted a large number of tourists and families. Beyond Robson it was a drunken binge. At the time, that arrangement seemed to work. Perhaps it still does.

It will be interesting to see how the current project with it’s sustained programming works out and whether it changes the feel of the area. Certainly encouraging a greater variety of people to enjoy Granville Street is a good thing. The kind of programming that the City is putting on will encourage people to use the space at other times of day, rather than just at night. Hopefully it will attract people who are normally put-off by the entertainment district to return over the longer term.

Rediscovering Granville is a summer series on the MOV Blog about Granville Street. See the other posts in the series here.

Image credit: E. Brown-John

THE BIG BANG is a fundraising event hosted by Andy Yan of Bing Thom Architects and sponsored by Mark Anthony Brands and Stanley Park Brewery in support of the great youth and family programs at the Museum of Vancouver!

8 pm - Doors Open
9:30 pm - Words from MOV
10 pm - Fireworks Begin
11 pm - Event ends

Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 at the door (plus HST) – there are only 150 tickets available!

Tickets are available online (please print your Paypal receipt and bring it to the event as proof of purchase) or at Visitor Services in person or by calling 604.736.4431.

Cash bar

Please Note: Due to the high volume of car and pedestrian traffic in the area, please consider walking, biking, or taking transit to the event. Parking will be severely limited and traffic will be congested.

All those coming in a car or cab: An access pass is required as you drive into the Vanier Park area. You will need to present it for access. To request a pass, please email: shattingh@museumofvancouver.ca

This year Granville Street is number four on Heritage Vancouver’s Top 10 Ten Endangered Sites list.

Each year Heritage Vancouver compiles a list of buildings and historical sites that are in danger of decay or demolition. Certain buildings on Granville Street have made the list in previous years, but this year Heritage Vancouver took the step of placing the entire street on the list. Over time, many of the buildings on Granville Street have fallen into disrepair and there are currently few incentives to promote their restoration and upkeep. The organization is concerned that the current project to revitalize Granville Street will result in the replacement of several heritage buildings with new developments and the loss of the character of the streetscape. There are several reasons why the organization is concerned.

Several key buildings along the street are not currently listed in the Heritage Register, meaning that there is no specific bylaw in place to protect them from being demolished or significantly renovated. Being listed in the Heritage Register places several restrictions on renovations and alterations that can be made to buildings, with the intent of protecting the facade and streetscape. It also makes property owners eligible for grants and other financial assistance for repairs.

Heritage Vancouver has recommended that several buildings along Granville Street be added to this list. However, as the organization argues, though this is an important step, the focus of the Register and bylaws is on the exterior of buildings. There is nothing in place to ensure the protection of the interiors of buildings, leaving spaces such as the Vogue Theatre and the Commodore Ballroom’s horse-hair dance floor vulnerable to being altered or lost during renovations.

Another program in place to protect heritage buildings is currently on hold. The Heritage Density Exchange Program rewards developers who restore old buildings or build public amenities by giving them the opportunity to add extra density to other developments. This program has resulted in several successful projects, such as the Roundhouse, the Stanley Theatre and Christ Church Cathedral restorations. However, the amount of density awarded has outstripped the pace of development, leaving a large pool of potential new development that is not being built. In the downtown core there is limited space to absorb that density.

In the meantime there is increasing pressure to densify the downtown core and many buildings along Granville Street continue to decay. With the renewed focus on cleaning up the area several significant buildings could be lost. Important decisions must be made about the future character of the area, whether heritage features will be maintained, or whether the street will be transformed into something new.

Rediscovering Granville is a summer series on the MOV Blog about Granville Street. See the other posts in the series here.

Images: E. Brown-John