Latest Classifieds in Bodyheat

Akimbo: Fight for Beauty at the Fairmont Pacific Rim

Fight For Beauty Exhibition Tent

This listing, written by Vancouver curator and writer Steffanie Ling, was published to Akimbo on November 8, 2017. It gives a brief review of the Fight for Beauty exhibition, including the apt line: “The broad consensus in the art community is that this is a nighmarish marketing scheme and public sympathy generator masquerading as a philanthropic project.” True. 

Unaffordable residential, commercial realities rankle local market, October 31, 2017

Vancouver

Peter Mitham wrote this article for the Real Estate section of Business In Vancouver, in which he mentions Westbank’s Joyce-Collingwood development that had recently been a point of controversy. There was community pushback to the Joyce-Collingwood development because it was so unaffordable in a neighbourhood that is home to many low-income families and marginalized communities.

‘Displacement is not beautiful’: Critics slam Westbank’s Fight for Beauty exhibition, October 22, 2017

Fight For Beauty Exhibition Tent

This article for CBC News was one of the first to openly criticize Westbank’s Fight for Beauty exhibition for being ignorant of the neighbourhood and cultural impacts of large scale luxury developments. With regards to Fight For Beauty, Michael Braun, Westbank’s marketing and sales director, is quoted saying, “It’s philanthropy, in a way.”

Inspiring Public Art

Fight For Beauty Exhibition Tent

Here are excerpts from an essay by Reid Shier on the Westbank website, speaking to Westbank’s positive contributions to public art, and the nature of public art in general. What Shier fails to emphasize, between floral paragraphs on “what is good art,” is that Westbank is required by the City to produce public art based on the scale of their development projects. Though Shier mentions this in passing, the article as a whole appears to suggest that Westbank’s public art commissions are instances of philanthropy as opposed to obligation. And Westbank’s taste in public art is questionable, at best. 

Interview with Michael Braun

Fight For Beauty Exhibition Tent

These are excerpts of an interview with Westbank marketing and sales director, Michael Braun, posted to Westbank’s website and accessed in 2017. What intrigued us about this interview is the insight that Braun gives into Ian Gillespie’s character. His love for Gillespie is quite heartwarming.

Westbank Project Corp. executive Michael Braun joined Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James at a Pacific Rim hotel party.

Vancouver

This image is owned by Postmedia, and is available on all their affiliated news organizations, including the Vancouver Sun. Posted November 29, 2013. Cool Google image find, if you ask us. 

Woodward’s Designer Reveals Secrets, February 25, 2010

Woodward's

Christine McLaren interviews architect Gregory Henriquez for The Tyee. Some of his statements, such as “We displaced nobody,” demonstrate a certain saviour complex and ignorance with regards to the Woodward’s redevelopment and its lasting impact. Though it is not mentioned in this article, Henriquez’ ego appears to rival the height of the Woodward’s condo. 

City of Vancouver Victory Square Policy Plan, July 19, 2005

Woodward's

This plan for the neighbourhood around Victory Square was put forward by the Development Services branch of the City of Vancouver, and adopted by council on July 19, 2005. In it, there are valuable insights into how City officials regarded the neighbourhood around Victory Square. This plan acknowledges its decline and the need to bring businesses back to the neighbourhood, but it also passes judgement on existing businesses for supporting illegal drug activity. This document is at times thought-provoking and compassionate and other times misguided and ignorant.