Tidal Pool (2016)

In 1971, a health inspector deemed the water in the tidal pool located at New Brighton Park to be unsafe, due to industrial pollution in the Burrard Inlet. A new pool was built the following year and continues to be open to the public from May to September. For the rest of the year, the pool remains filled and waterfowl are allowed to use it, fenced off and protected from human disturbance. New Brighton Park has been an institution of northeast Vancouver for over a century, but the park itself is in a state of change. There has been a recent proposal to reclaim the shore and field next to and including the tennis courts, to transform this area back into a salt marsh. The park’s location creates an ideal vantage point to frame the emblematic and historic aspects of Vancouver in the contemporary moment. Tidal Pool documents New Brighton Park in its contemporary state, as a point of articulation between natural adaptation and global industry.

Produced for Platforms: Coastal City, curated by Karen Henry.

Soundtrack by Krista Loewen.

 

Stills from 16mm film transferred to HD video, colour, sound, 4'24"

 

Installation views at public video screens, Vancouver, BC, 2016