CITY HALL: PUBLIC DRAWING PERFORMANCE
Dylan McHugh, Leisha O’Donohue, Ian Prentice, Rachel D. White (DRIL)

Sundays & Fridays, July 19 — August 7
Sundays noon — 5 p.m., Fridays 4 — 9 p.m. *

Free, all ages welcome


According to an old photograph taken in 1886, a make-shift tent-like structure served as City Hall after the great fire devastated the region of Vancouver known as Gastown. If it were not for the sign posted to the tent that read 'City Hall' and the important-looking people posed in front of the structure, one might have otherwise concluded that the tent was not a significant place of business. However, in the context of this photograph the tent is extraordinary.

Taking the historic photograph as their point of entry into the subject of buildings, shelters and architecture of all kinds, four Vancouver-based artists will reintroduce the City Hall tent of 1886 to present-day Gastown. In a collaborative performance, the group will rebuild the tent out of lumber and canvas and proceed to cover it in drawings on the subject of man-made dwellings, addressing our assumptions about what goes on within these structures. By using approximate replicas of all of the objects in the photograph as a blank canvas to draw on with black ink, graphite and charcoal, the tent, tables and chairs will be amazingly transformed into a sculptural drawing surface.

During the scheduled performances, the artists will field questions and take into consideration any suggestions the people of Vancouver may want to bring forth to a make-shift City Hall.


Maple Tree Square
Foot of Carrall Street in Gastown
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

*Note: Performances may be rescheduled due to inclement weather. Additional performances may be added. Please check website for updates.