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Interactive art targets tourists to Vancouver

Local art will infiltrate the city in subtle and not-so-subtle ways during the Olympics, thanks to a handful of public works commissioned by the City of Vancouver.

Tourists will get more than they bargained for when accepting a postcard from uniformed attendants at the slightly off-kilter kiosks of Vanessa Kwan’s “Vancouver Vancouver Vancouver.” Visitors are invited to tear out perforated images of Vancouver landmarks,hold the postcard up to frame an actual Vancouver scene, then photograph the postcard.

Other works include highly subjective transit maps chronicling an artist’s personal journeys, live underwater images of Burrard Inlet displayed on Aquabus roofs and a multimedia dance project.

The eight works comprise the city’s Mapping and Marking Vancouver 2010 project. With a budget of $600,000, it is part of the city’s Artist Initiatives Program, aimed at encouraging artists to reflect their personal connection to Vancouver in site-specific works.

All the works will be on display at locations throughout the city during the Olympics, from February 12 to March 21, 2010. Some will remain as permanent or semi-permanent public artworks.