VANCOUVER.- FAÇADE FESTIVAL 2016, an immersive and dynamic projection mapping experience, is set to transform the Vancouver Art Gallery’s Robson Street façade with the work of five Vancouver-based contemporary artists from August 30th to September 5th, 2016. Organized by the Burrard Arts Foundation in partnership with Microsoft and in collaboration with the Vancouver Art Gallery, this public art project features newly commissioned artworks by Eric Metcalfe, Barry Doupé, Rebecca Chaperon, Renée Van Halm and Chris Shier. Technical mentorship is provided by projection mapping specialists Go2 Productions.

FAÇADE FESTIVAL 2016 is the second year of this unique annual festivity that aims to provide the City of Vancouver with a dynamic and interactive approach to place-making and visual art experience in the public realm, taking cues from renowned visual arts festivals such as VIVID in Sydney, Australia, Luminato and Nuit Blanche in Toronto, which draw millions of attendees each year.

Projections will take place every evening from August 30th to September 5th, with two encore presentations featuring all five artists on September 4th and September 5th. On September 5th, the finale evening will kick off at 8pm with a special projection-mapping showcase by Go2 Productions featuring the work of award-winning cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg, followed by a second showing at 10:30pm.

Schedule and Participating Artists
Dates and Time: August 30th to September 5th, 2016, 8pm to 12am each evening
Location: Vancouver Art Gallery Robson Street façade, between Hornby and Howe Streets

August 30th, Tuesday – Eric Metcalfe
Eric Metcalfe epitomizes the avant-garde in Canadian art. Since the late 1960s, his art practice has crossed and merged disciplines of painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, printmaking, performance, video and film. He first showed his work publicly in 1966, and in 1973, he co-founded Western Front, a pioneering artist-run centre in Vancouver. Metcalfe has received the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award in 2000, the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts in 2006 and the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts in 2008. Last year, Eric was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Emily Carr University of Art + Design.

August 31st, Wednesday – Barry Doupé
Barry Doupé is a Vancouver-based artist primarily working with computer animation. He graduated from the Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2004 with a Bachelor of Media Arts, majoring in animation. His films use imagery and language derived from the subconscious, which is developed through writing exercises and automatic drawing. He often creates settings within which a character’s self-expression or action is challenged and thwarted, resulting in comic, violent and poetic spectacles. His films have been screened extensively nationally as well as internationally.

September 1st, Thursday – Rebecca Chaperon
Born in England, Rebecca Chaperon graduated from Emily Carr University of Art + Design in 2002. Her work shifts between landscapes that are treated as figurative representations to highly symbolic spaces that hint at a mysterious narrative. Exhibited and collected internationally, Chaperon is also a two-time recipient of Canada Council Awards for her Antarticus series as well as Cave Paintings, a new series that is currently being developed. Her practice is inspired by her love of all things mysterious and fantastic and her consideration of human perception and existence.

September 2nd, Friday – Renée Van Halm
Renée Van Halm is a visual artist who is based in Vancouver and Hornby Island. Her undergraduate work was completed at the then Vancouver School of Art, and she received a Master of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University in Montréal. In addition to over 30 solo exhibitions, her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions such as Architypes in Sydney (2004) and Tokyo (2005); Weak Thought (1997-98) at the Vancouver Art Gallery and Songs of Experience (1983) at the National Gallery of Canada.

September 3rd, Saturday – Chris Shier
Chris Shier lives and works in Vancouver, BC. He began producing gif images in 2010 as part of the Dump.fm net art community before pursuing a practice in interactive code-based animation. Available primarily online, his work uses feedback effects and offset loops to create non-repeating, mutating forms. Through his work, Shier hopes to rekindle some of the creative spirit of the pre-corporatized internet. His work has been shown at Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Western Front, Vancouver; 319 Scholes, as well as digital galleries Electric Objects, NewHive, The Wrong Biennale, ANI GIF and Parallelograms.

September 4th, Sunday – Encore
Encore night featuring the work of all artists.

September 5th, Monday – Grand Finale
The finale night will start off with a live projection mapping performance by Go2 Productions featuring the work of award-winning cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg. The performance will be shown at 8pm and 10:30pm. An encore presentation of all artist works will also occur throughout the evening.