Blanketing the City: Lighting the Way

FEB. 23 - 27 // Sundown - 11:00 PM
CANADA PLACE // CATHEDRAL SQUARE PARK // TELUS GARDEN // BC PLACE // SCIENCE WORLD // GRANVILLE ISLAND // THE BILTMORE

• FREE
• All-Ages

Blanketing The City: Lighting The Way is an evolution of the ongoing public art series designed by xʷməθkʷəy̓əm  weaver and designer, Debra Sparrow in collaboration with VMF.

Blanketing The City: Lighting The Way reprograms the lighting of large downtown buildings with Coast Salish patterns for all to witness. This project reclaims the Vancouver skyline with weaving patterns that have been shared and passed down for thousands of years by the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh people. 

A new addition to this year’s installation is the Musqueam Runner (formerly known as Thread Runner)—an AR artwork created in collaboration between Sparrow and Joshua Conrad. The 'threads' of the runner will match the colour patterns of their corresponding installation at each of the 7 locations: 

Project Lead + Designer
Debra Sparrow

Collaboration
Debra Sparrow and Winter Arts Festival are collaborating with Slow Studies, Spark Indigenous and EOS Lightmedia to create the multi-site interactive artwork that links all the murals and light installations of Blanketing the City projects together across the city. 

Technical Design
Ben Cooper + Steve Bedard (EOS Lightmedia)

“Dedicated to the spirit of our ancestors, the original runners ran from village to village throughout what is now the city of Vancouver, carrying out messages and reminding us of who we are … where we come from." —Debra Sparrow

SponsorS

Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA)
Evo Car Share

Partners

EOS Lightmedia, Slow Studies, Science World, TELUS Garden, BC Place, Canada Place, Granville Island, PavCo.

Commissioned by

Winter Arts Festival & Vancouver Mural Festival

  • • Terrain: Pavement and indoor flooring.

    • Mobility: Wheelchair accessible, elevator and ramp options are available for mobility impaired.

    • Restroom Facilities: Gender-free washrooms, accessible stalls, and baby change tables available.

    • Seating: A variety of different types of seating including couches, benches, tables, stools etc. around the venue.

    • Public Transportation: 3 minute walk from bus stop at Douglas and Discovery

    • Parking: Paid street parking and paid parking lots nearby. Downtown Victoria tends to be busy, so we encourage walking, biking, and public transit.

    • Furry Friends: Only service animals are permitted within the Hub

    • Dietary: A variety of food trucks on site will cater to many different dietary restrictions. Non-alcoholic beverages are available at all bars.

    • Lighting and Noise: Low-stimulant areas can be found around the site.

  • Winter Arts Festival takes place on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.