Preview – The Gallery Guide | June through August 2011

GALLERY VIEWSBY ANN ROSENBERGannrosenberg@shaw.caThe Hotel Waldorf Reimagined“Reimagined as a creative compound” is the only way to describe the Waldorf Hotel’s currenttransformation. This phrase from the first line of the Waldorf’s internet promo for all parts of theendeavour does grab attention. Perhaps if readers are first learning about this “reimagined” EastVancouver landmark, they’ll begin to attend theevents attractively advertised in the monthly onlinecalendar or go for the exotic cuisine and drinks.In October 2010, shortly before the Waldorf’sofficial opening on Hallowe’en, the Granvilleonline’s Secret City blog featured some facts submittedby the Hotel's “brand manager” DanielFazio who stated that the establishment, built in1947, became well-known after it launched “a premierNorth American tiki bar” in 1955. Marco andVesna Puharich, who bought the Waldorf in 1971,are still in the picture and if the venture makes money,they will benefit. Fazio stated that those involvedin the enterprise are “too interested in contemporary culture and art to create a kitschy hotel.We're taking the spirit of the original hotel, updating it and making it resonate with people today”.A follow-up blog piece by Monica Miller was published in April and contains a wealth of informationwith images including Chris Stenberg’s great shot of the Waldorf façade with a first go atproperly-sweet 1940 colours, the museum-worthy original sign, and the fortuitous touch of a rainbowarching towards this East Van cultural pot of gold.Prior to my May visit, I discovered that the venue was hosting a film series organized by Elvy DelBianco called Vancouver Sometimes Plays Itself. Other recent offerings included an exhibition of workand Grad Party for Emily Carr photography students; Libby Davies’s election night gathering in thedownstairs Cabaret and Andrea Pinheiro’s Loud Cloud exhibit(curated by Jessica Delorme) that was on view in the new Blackand Yellow Gallery in Room 106. Some things that happenhere are akin to those in the best non-profit galleries and culturalcentres. For example, a remount of Stephen Belber’s playTape was accommodated in one of the hotel rooms and amonth-long installation called Karen’s Room took place inanother. In it, hundreds of white sheets donated by the Waldorf(that were given away to the needy here and abroad after theevent was over) were piled, draped, stacked and written upon bythe artist/activist Karen, who is the only human being visuallypresent in this intallation that was executed and videotaped inChris Stenberg, creative content producer, catchesthe Waldorf in a rainbow momentcollaboration with mutimedia artist Paul Wong. Wong andmany other major arts community figures like Stan Douglas,Michael Morris, Rodney Graham, Michael Turner, DouglasCoupland and Attila Richard Lukacs contribute to the Waldorf’s busy program and so dothe Goethe-Institut and Presentation House. Many activities can occur in this complex space because20 of the 30 original hotel rooms are already being used for purposes other than sleeping. From June2-5, the second-storey rooms will be become galleries to house the Waldorf’s first-ever show of internationalcontemporary art in Vancouver. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what’s in The Fair.Will the Waldorf perpetuate and flourish? Unless a natural disaster or deep economic troublesstrike, I believe it will. As Michael Turner told me in a phone interview, “the individuals who managevarious concerns at the Waldorf bring relevant experience to their tasks”.http://www.waldorfhotel.com/Michael Turner’s Rolling Stones video is screened at theWaldorf Hotel26 PREVIEW ■ JUNE/JULY/AUGUST 2011