Friday, July 18, 2008

The art of chaos

Lively City column by Dan Hilborn
Published Jan. 7, 2006


What happens when chaos theory is applied to art? The answer can be seen in Tangle, the latest exhibition at the Burnaby Art Gallery, featuring the works of local painter and poet Pierre Coupey.

These stunning abstract paintings from an original co-editor of the Georgia Straight and founding editor of the Capilano Review will be on the walls of the former Ceperley House gallery from Jan. 10 to Feb. 19.

The exhibit features works on both canvas and paper from the Montreal-born artist, who has studied at Lower Canada College, McGill, UBC and both Academie Julian and Atelier 17 in Paris.

Previous exhibitions of his work have been shown across Canada and the U.S., in Dublin, Ireland and at the Canadian Embassy Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.

Coupey will be on hand for an opening reception at 1 p.m., Saturday, Jan 14. A fireside tea and tour with the artist will be offered on Jan. 20.

The Burnaby Art Gallery is located at 6344 Deer Lake Ave., and is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays from 12 to 5 p.m.

PHOTOS OF LOCAL HISTORY

With all the hubbub of the holiday season, we failed to mention that one of our favourite local historians has published a beautiful new book on the history of New Westminster.

Jim Wolf, a heritage planner at Burnaby city hall, is the author of Royal City: A Photographic History of New Westminster 1858-1960.

The book had its genesis in 1985 when Wolf was working at the Irving House historical centre, helping to catalogue a huge assortment of old photographs, many of which hadn't been seen by human eyes for many years.

Now, 20 years later, the dream has turned into a delightful, full-colour, coffee-table book featuring many rare and never-before-published photos of British Columbia's first capital city.

STUDENTS PLAY MOZART

The Clef Society will present its first concert of the season, A Tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, featuring some of the top students of Burnaby's piano-teaching Tokunoh family, at the Shadbolt Centre on Jan. 22. The program will include early music that influenced Mozart, a variety of mostly Mozart pieces from the classical period, plus music written by later composers who were influenced by Mozart.

Students of Sashiko and Amy Tukonoh, plus Yuko Noble, will perform a variety of solo and ensemble pieces, plus two vocal selections, beginning at 2 p.m. in Room 103 of the city's art centre.

Tickets are $10 adults, $5 students and seniors, and no charge for members in good standing of the Clef Society. Refreshments will be served at intermission.

HAVE A LITTLE FUN

Who says old men don't know how to have fun? Rita Stephan, the coordinator of the Edmonds Entertainers, is looking for a few good men to help keep her seniors' theatrical troupe running.

The group is hoping to stage several 'mini-musicals' at the Edmonds community centre for 55-plus this year and, while lots of women are lining up to take their roles, she's having a little less luck finding a few senior male thespians.

Last year, the group did abbreviated versions of the hit musicals Annie Get Your Gun and The King and I. This year, Stephan hopes to choose her repertoire after she sees what kind of talent comes forward.

WRITERS TO MEET

The Burnaby Writers' Society will host its first meeting of the new year at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 12, in studio 209 at the Shadbolt Centre.

This society, which sponsors one of the most popular amateur writing contests in the province, will also host its monthly ReVisions Poetry and Prose night at the Myles of Beans Coffee House, 7010 Kingsway, at 8 p.m., Jan. 18. For more information on the Burnaby Writers' Society, call Moe at 604-438-0973.

GIVE AN OVATION

There's still time to get your votes in for the second annual Ovation Awards presented to performers in musical theatre across the Lower Mainland.

Sponsored by the Applause Musicals Society, which recently made the Shadbolt Centre its new home base, the Ovation Awards honour the best singers and dancers in the local theatre circuit.

A total of 15 awards will be handed out in a gala ceremony at the Vancouver Academy of Music on Jan. 29, including two financial awards for outstanding newcomers and two significant contribution awards.

Check out the nomination form at www. applausemusicals.com. and vote for your favourites.

SWING A SUCCESS

A lovely full-colour poster of the neon Helen's children's wear sign featuring the little girl on a swing is now available online at the website of the artist known as The Laughing Hand.

Keith McKellar, the Vancouver-based artist who wrote the book on the history of neon signs in the Lower Mainland, created the wonderful drawing in 2004 after the prompting of a certain local newspaper reporter.

McKellar is currently working on his second book. Check out his site, and order your own glossy full-colour 11x17 print of the Helen's children wear sign for only $25 at www.laughinghand.com.

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