Design experts contextualize West Coast Modernism, at the Polygon on July 5
Public panel discussion and reception are part of 2022 West Coast Modern Week
Merrick House. Photo by Michael Perlmutter
The West Vancouver Art Museum and West Coast Modern League present West Coast Modernism in Context, a panel discussion and reception, on July 5 from 7 to 9 pm at the Polygon Gallery
IS WEST COAST MODERNISM indicative of an era that has come and gone? Or is it an enduring design ethos that’s still relevant to contemporary design and lifestyles today? These are the questions that will be explored at West Coast Modernism in Context, an in-person panel discussion and reception open to the public during West Coast Modern Week.
Leading local design experts will critically contextualize the relationship between mid-century West Coast Modernism and contemporary architecture and design practices.
The panel includes David Battersby, founding principal at BattersbyHowat Architects Inc.; Lisa Bovell, cofounder of McLeod Bovell Modern Houses, which specializes in modern custom homes on steep lots with stunning views; Joseph Fry, founding principal of Hapa Collaborative and a vocal advocate for Vancouver’s public realm and the role of the landscape architecture; Peeroj Thakre, founding principal of Ph5 Architecture; and Paul Merrick, original co-founder of the practice now known as Merrick Architecture – Borowski Sakumoto McIntyre and Webb and recipient of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia Lifetime Achievement Award. (Read Stir’s feature article on A Twist of the Rules: The Architecture of Paul Merrick at the West Vancouver Art Museum here.)
For the better part of a century, West Coast Modernism has played a seminal role in shaping the culture of modern architecture and design on B.C.’s south coast, with the 1941 B.C. Binning House being recognized as the first modern house in Vancouver. The home was designed at a time when ideas of international modernism were being embraced here. Since then, however, there have been enormous shifts in technological, social, and climatic conditions affecting the ways in which people design and build today—giving the panel plenty to talk about.
The West Coast Modern League is a volunteer-based, non-profit society that celebrates and advances the understanding and appreciation of architecture, urbanism, and design of the North American West Coast, with a special focus on B.C.’s southern coastal regions.
Taking place in the Polygon Gallery’s Seaspan Pavilion, the event includes a cash bar and charcuterie. Registration is required; suggested $10 donation.
More information is at West Vancouver Art Museum or West Coast Modern League.
