The 1:30 video piece was shot for our broadcast video course at UBC.

Daytime use of the proposed market

I discovered Romanczuk’s “Shifting Markets” graduating thesis a couple of weeks ago at an exhibition at Studio 221a.

Designs of the project hung smartly on the studio’s wall revealed a mobile outdoor market and dining space where people could meet, chat, drink coffee and have some wine with dinner. In theory, the market would move along the preexisting railroad tracks to accommodate different neighbourhoods at certain times. The market would increase pedestrian use, promote the site as a bike path and as a greenway with community gardens.

I connected with Romanczuk on Facebook to get some background on the project.

“Ultimately, I was interested in exploring how a decommissioned rail line (absolutely singular in its purpose) could be re-imagined and re-defined for an engaging public space for the city,” wrote Romanczuk in an e-mail to me.

The market's mobile dining space

The market itself is feasible, wrote Romanczuk, because she designed it to re-purpose already-made rail cars an infrastructure. Feasibility becomes less straightforward, though, when it comes to operation and costs. The biggest stumbling blocks: who would run the market and decide when and where it relocates and whether or not the city would fund it.

“The goal of my thesis project was to accommodate pedestrian use of the sites as well as to encourage community involvement/ownership through landscape interventions where community garden plots could be located,” wrote Romanczuk.

The City of Vancouver definitely—if not as ambitious as Romanczuk’s—has plans for the corridor.

In 2006 the city won a landmark case that blocked the CPR from selling off the land in parcels for commercial/residential development and has plans to use the corridor for transit (excluding cars and the SkyTrain) and a greenway.

Everyday use of the site

So even if Romanzuk does not realize her “Shifting Markets” vision, it seems in the case of Arbutus corridor that alternative urban culture and sustainable living will win out over the controversial condo developments that the city loves so much.

Gene Cafe, on Main Street.

Our location, a trendy cafe called Gene on Main street, suited the topic well.

Main street corridor connects Vancouver’s port, the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown and Science World on one end with residential and commercial lots on the other. In the middle sits dozens of cafes, comic and book stores, clothing stores, restaurants and bars, Vivo Media Arts Centre and one of the city’s most popular live music venues, The Biltmore.

Vancouver, with trendy locations like Main street (and now Commercial Drive), is often thought as one of the hippest—and more creative—places to live.

But does Florida’s philosophy work the same way here in Vancouver? Does the so-called creative industry really affect the city’s economy?

Levy took on these two lofty questions for me in an impromptu interview. He provided food for thought and revealed that he takes a definitive stance on the creativity-equals-economy debate.

Question #1. I ask Levy if what Florida preaches can happen here. And if so, has it happened already?

Key points Levy talks about:

• There has yet to be a major push for an artist district here or post-industrial project.
• Government-aided artist districts: Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward or the Historic Distillery District in Toronto.
• Vancouver is similar to San Francisco: it has an already well-established art culture.
• The city’s push for real estate gets in the way of turning existing property into cultural sites.
• The focus on real estate development makes culture development all the more important.
• The Great Northern Way is the last opportunity for a creative district in Vancouver.

Question #2.  Levy responds to the question: does the creativity of a city effect its economic wealth?

Key points Levy talks about:

• Critics don’t like Florida’s theory because we can’t easily quantify cultural growth.
• But the best way to quantify culture is to take people to the places and show them first hand what is happening.
• Mayor Gregor Robertson supports and promotes creative industries.

The morning sky was ashen grey when we left from the loft in Gastown Igharas was crashing at. Dozens of locals had already got together on the corner of Pigeon Park to sell their goods at the market. Men and women sat on blue tarps, pushed carts, walked around and shouted deals for everything from clothes, used CD players, to canned food.

When Igharas pulled into the middle of the market, unlatched the box to reveal turntables, speakers and a laptop, people’s curiosity got the better of them and they flocked over. And when he played his first song, the market came to life.  Smiles.  Thumbs up.  Head-bobbing. Conversation. The change in atmosphere was tangible.

“I love this guy,” said a man to no one in particular.

Click here for the two-minute(ish) audio slideshow of the event — of “social intervention” at its best.

Makeuse Studio's originally-designed DJ Trike. (Source: makeuse.ca)

Jonathan Igharas and Alexander Suvajac of the Makeuse Studio call the above experiences social interventions – one of the many philosophies behind their work.  The idea, they explain, is to take a look at already-existing urban areas and use them in innovative ways. This helps redefine the city and create chance-encounters.The two designers use the DJ Trike as one of their tools for social intervention. A mentor of Igharas salvaged the tricycle from an alleyway in Beijing and brought it over to Vancouver as part of a design project for the Cultural Olympiad in Chinatown during the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Igharas and Suvajac turned the trike into a portable, self-powered DJ Trike, fully equipped with speakers, turntables, records and speakers.

“The DJ Trike was designed to explore public space and partake in urban play to create catalysts for social intervention,” said Igharas.

“It is a vehicle and open-platform for communication and interaction that activates and enhances the urban environment. The DJ Trike transforms public space from a neutral space into a collective, memorable place.”

Interview:  Introducing the DJ Trike.

Interview with designer and DJ Jonathan Igharas by UrbanJamie

Jonathan Igharas of the Makeuse Studio

Article 67 of the City of Vancouver’s Street and Traffic By-law prohibits “the use of the street (including sidewalk) for sport or entertainment” without a permit.  Permits cost approximately $35 to $100, but exceptions do exist.

In recent amendments to the by-law, the city created certain areas where it allows entertainment, such as Library Square, Science World, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Transit Sky Train Stations, Queen Elizabeth Theatre and the Terry Fox Plaza.

The above exceptions help enable creators like Igharas and Suvajac make Vancouver a more engaging, fulfilling and ultimately enjoyable place to live.

Urban planners such as Richard Florida, who believe a city’s economic wealth directly relates to its creative output, would argue that these two designers make our city economically richer as well.

Christmas is next week. The first semester of my master’s degree is finished. Internship applications are upon us. Time flies.

I couple notes of interest. A small but fun album review that I wrote on Girl Talk’s “All night” release was published in Discorder Magazine, a Vancouver-based, online music publication.

Below is the opening couple of paragraphs of the review. Be sure to read the rest here.

How is one to compare Girl Talk’s new album, All Day, with the rest?

It is true, Gregg Gillis, the Pittsburgh king of mash-ups, managed to slice and dice 373 samples for the album (the most yet). It is true you can download it from his Illegal Art label website for free (again). And it is true that debate here and Down South still rages over whether Gillis’ method of sampling is illegal or not (proposed amendments to Bill C-32 look to be in our favor). Click here to read more.

While we are on the topic of publication, here are two more links to articles I have gotten published in the last three months to see what I’ve been up to.

The first is an article I wrote for TheThunderbird.ca called Vancouver heritage zoning laws ‘limit Chinatown’s future’. I’ve been spending a lot of time in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and, in particular, in Chinatown. The story touches upon the complexities of balancing heritage preservation with development.

Some landowners using community gardens to get tax breaks.This story took a lot of investigating. There are dozens of articles out there that discuss this issue, and every one I read had their facts wrong. After talking with urban planners, city planners, with BC assessment and with more urban gardeners and environmentalists than I can count on my hands, the story finally came to fruition – and with it, publication in the Vancouver Sun.

Couldn’t resist posting a recent three-hour set done by Norwegian disco legend Todd Terje provided by undomondo, one of my favourite sites for Scandinavian music. The recording is from The Big Chill Festival last summer in England. The festival is mad. Here is a list of who you could’ve seen if you went to this year’s event. There’s at least 102 artists from that list I want to see live.

But before that, here is the set. Click play, turn up your speakers, bust out the spandex, roller skates, afros and disco ball. Invite your friends over. Burn a CD and go for a drive. Or, let it play and get to work on another article you have to write for grad school – like my poor old self. Whatever floats your boat, these beats will give you buoyancy.

BIG CHILL 08.08.10 (greg wilson live mix) by gregwilson

2010 Eastnor Castle: Massive Attack, M.I.A., Lily Allen, Thom Yorke, Roots Manuva, Gregory Isaacs, Explosions In The Sky, Plan B, Tinie Tempah, Bebel Gilberto, Kelis, Roy Ayers, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane, Kruder & Dorfmeister, Layo & Bushwacka!, Magnetic Man, Mr. Scruff, Craig Charles, Mystery Jets, Steve Mason, Chris Coco, Benji B, Liars, Caribou, Mount Kimbie, The Leisure Society, Rye Rye, Riva Starr, Bonobo, Villagers, Henrik Schwarz, Andy Weatherall, Hospital Records, Little Dragon, The Bug, Mad Professor, Joker, Appleblim, Theo Parrish, Greg Wilson, DJ Derek, Tom Middleton, Futureboogie, Alice Russell, The Heavy, Andreya Triana, Funki Porcini, Lol Hammond, Willkommen Collective, Dry The River, Beth Jeans Houghton, Sparky, Alejandro Toledo and the Magic Tombolinos

The Move to Vancouver

I have made the move back to Vancouver, BC, my “second” home-town. Why? To begin my Masters in Journalism. Why? To own up to my ambitions. Why? To try to tie in the experience I have gained in Japan with the outside world (and then reconnect them upon graduation).

New Face to the Website

The content of the Spin Japan lives on, and expect updates to continue. But, please expect a broadening of content. With me being in Vancouver, the range of what I will be reporting on is going to increase. What to expect:

- News on the city of Vancouver.
- News on not only Japanese musicians but others, as well.
- A video from the Japan project uploaded once a month.

I’m also in the process of redesigning Spin Japan. You must’ve notice the new front page. With the moving of content from spinearth.tv to spin.com, I have decided to turn my website into more of an independent one that can exist on its own.

As of now you scan still find all the entires in “Archives” and “The Blog“. Links are currently being written into the lists on the map.

Good Music for You

On to this entry’s Recommendation: Belleruche (Their Myspace Page).

Belleruche are from England, described as “Turntable Soul Music,” and are very fun indeed. Think of smokey-lounge-St. Louis-Jazz vocals, swinging-two-step-heavy beats combined with punchy big-band brass numbers. The group of three (“Kathryn Deboer”, “Ricky Fabulous”, “Dj Modest”) hail (kind of) from England and is releasing a new disc next month.

This group brings to mind my friend Erica who jams on her acoustic guitar in between shooting photography and surfing the shores of Maui. It brings to mind my friend Satoshi who dresses oh-so-nice and plays his music loud while doing his graphic design from home. It brings to mind the girl down the street who walks briskly and confidently along the sidewalk, dressed in Autumn colors of brown, beige and orange, her knitted sweater, long black boots jeans funky but geared to keep the October chill away.

Two lovely listening samples (like all good music, these two songs sound way better turned up):

Alice

Minor Swing

New Video of New Single (Clockwatching) from New Album.

It was the same friend who introduced me to the one-man band named Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) nearly 9 years ago who passed on the news that Four Tet had just released another album. This one’s called “There is Love in You”, an album which inspired the BBC to write, “those who’ve lost contact with Four Tet, be aware: the bliss is back.” And, although I’m still in the process of listening to it, (as I write this, in fact) it jumps out of the speakers instantly and affects you on a much more melodic and accessible level than of previous albums. Indeed, Pitchfork also commented on this, stating, “This is the most focused Four Tet album by a huge margin, and for some listeners that could be an issue.” But, his signature drum beats + glitch + strings/piano have not been left-out and actually feel perhaps more refined, more affecting than ever before. This may be his best album since his debut, “Rounds“.

Four Tet.

A sample from his blog – although short, a good teaser for those who have never heard of him or are awaiting his next release.

Four Tet – Nothing To See (8.49) by Soul Jazz Records

The BBC Review and free samples of his new album.

The Pitch Fork Review.

I think I’ll be buying this one on vinyl.