Unlimited Growth Increases the Divide
Permanent text installation commissioned by the Contemporary Art Gallery of Vancouver, 1990
Copper letters read, “Unlimited Growth Increases the Divide” across the face of the only remaining building on the downtown city block between Hamilton and Homer Streets, South of Pender. in 1989, the surrounding buildings were demolished to make way for BC Hydro’s development complex, and from 1990-93 this four storey building housing affordable rooms and the Contemporary Art Gallery (CAG) of Vancouver became shadowed by the office tower rising above it. The text is still part of the building, itself a monument to resistance, remaining steadfast along with the convictions of its owner who refused to sell his property to the corporate giant. The CAG has since moved to a larger location, but the storefront continues to be home to local art galleries. An historical plaque installed in 2012 gives the building heritage status.
in 1990 Bill Jeffries, then curator of the CAG, invited Kathryn Walter to propose a project for the site. Walter pitched the text idea to George Riste the owner of the building who agreed to make it a permanent piece on the face of the building. The letters shone with corporate authority in their first days and have faded over time. They are slowly oxidizing to become the greenish hue of aged copper, the same tone as the three exposed walls of the building that stands in contrast to the homogenizing effect of the urban development surrounding it.
The subtext to "Unlimited Growth .." relates to several aspects of public art including the need to address the use of site-specific work as a way of intervening in local issues, and in this instance, acting as marker of resistance by the economically marginalized, as represented by a parallel gallery and a hotel providing affordable housing. Walter raises questions related to the systems underlying the transactions and power plays that constitute normal business in the world of real estate development.
(excerpt from exhibition brochure by Bill Jeffries)
Plaque dedication: August 2, 2012
This project was supported by Canada Council for the Arts
