Radio Chongching
Radio Chongching - Lesli Dalaba, Greg Gilmore and Fred Chalenor
November 21
Radio Chongching was formed in 1997 after the three musicians performed in the 1996 Beijing International Jazz Festival as part of the larger ensemble, Land. Based in Seattle, WA, during its first year, Radio Chongching was invited to perform in every major music festival in the Seattle area. They gave several concerts and interviews on local radio stations, performed regularly in local venues, and were written up in The Stranger. Chongching is Seattle's sister city in China.
Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets
Al Purdy with Paul Wilcocks and the Mansell Girls In Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets
November 20
Al Purdy has brought together his favourite poems from the past three decades (1962-1996). Winner of two Governor General's Awards and the Order of Canada, author of over thirty books of poetry and prose, Al Purdy is arguably one of Canada's most esteemed living poets. As the biographical note from one Canadian journal recently said, "Al Purdy is Al Purdy". Al Purdy always packs the house, a wonderful way to end the Open Voice Reading Series for 1998.
Chapbook Launch - A Community of Monsters
Chapbook Launch - A Community of Monsters edited by Patrick Lane - including John Harley, Tanya Kern, Beth Kope, Aengus MacIntosh, Wendy Morton, Karen Sklanka, Chris Smart, Leanne Smith and Patrick Lane
November 14
Natural Selection
Natural Selection - Tom Wren, Geoff Carter & Sergio Finamore
November 9
A group exhibition by three East Vancouver painters/printmakers. The title evokes the artists' experiences in an urban social setting and reflects the impact of the environment on artistic expression. Recalling the social documentation of the 16th century Flemish painter Pieter Breughel and the twisted imagination of Hieronymus Bosch, these artists use painting and drawing as a means of recording and making sense of the world outside their studio. Working on the edges of society in the east end of Vancouver, they create a world inhabited by strange forms and creatures which speak of their relationship to the time and place in which they find themselves.