Celebrated BC artist Pierre Coupey, founding editor of The Capilano Review and co-founder of The Georgia Straight, brings his latest groundbreaking exhibition Cutting Out the Tongue – Selected Work 1976 – 2012 to the Art Gallery at Evergreen, from March 16 to April 27, 2013.

Coupey, raised in Montreal, studied at McGill University, Paris’ Atelier 17, UBC and the Art Institute at Capilano University. He has been a practicing writer, printmaker and painter since the early 1960s. In the mid-1970s, he made a pivotal decision to focus his energies primarily on visual art, that is, on the “wordless” and “mute” activity of painting.

Although the influence and importance of literature in Coupey’s life and work cannot be denied, this exhibition looks at Coupey’s trajectory as a painter over the last four decades, on the contradictions and tensions deeply embedded in his abstract canvases, and his decision to metaphorically obey Matisse’s impossible admonition to “cut out the tongue” and paint.  From Evergreen Cultural Centre website

Students had the opportunity to work in the studio and explore the exhibit in the gallery.  We started in the studio with a canvas and two primary colours.  We covered the canvas usually different textures and brush strokes.  As the canvas dried to ventured upstairs to explore the colour, texture, and text in Pierre Coupey’s works.  We explored the influence poetry and lyrics had on painting.  We also wrote poems after looking at one of Pierre Coupey’s paintings.   We returned back to the studio to tape off the canvas and to layer more paint.

On Jan.17, 2013 Ms. Moody’s and Ms. Abbot’s classes explored the wonders of Vancouver’s space center. While there we did many exciting things including an informative movie, a demonstration on how make fire change colour and a stroll in the park. Here is a summary of our fun time at the space centre.

When we first got there we admired a large steel crab. We were then brought inside and taken to the screen dome in which we watched the night sky. We learned about the creation of the universe, telescopes, how stars are created and how to find stars like Polaris also known as the North Star.  We had a short break then watched another little video about how ancient civilizations tracked the stars and what important discoveries they made. We had another break then continued on to the cosmic courtyard which had some very interesting things like the first moon landing footage, a meteorite, a space suit and a couple of space arcade games scattered about. After that we watched a man make fire change into different colours like green, blue and red. He told us how scientists understand what a star is made of.  He showed us the different stages in star lifecycles and what problems our sun aging might cause in 5.5 billion years. When his presentation was over we went outside for a little walk down by the water. Then sadly our day in space had to end and we went back to school.

All in all I think everyone enjoyed themselves and I hope we do this again next year.

By Sophie

At the HR MacMillan Space Centre
BY MACC, January 18, 2013

When humans gaze into the night sky, we can’t help but feel minute in the universe.

That is just how MACC felt as we headed to the HR Macmillan Space Centre, located in a quiet, sedated area, not far away from the bustling city. Sharing a building with the Museum of Vancouver, this small but awe-inspiring facility houses a stage for live performances, a series of cosmic exhibits, and, most stunning of all, a massive 360° Star Theatre built into the roof itself.

A steel crab statue, solemnly standing in the centre of a frozen-over pond, greeted our party. Not long afterwards, we found ourselves in the grand theatre, contemplating the origins of our native star, the neighboring planets, and the entire cosmos beyond, with the presentation of ‘Quest for Origins’.

Perhaps the greatest wonder of the theatre is an extremely accurate star projector dubbed ‘Harold’, nestled in a central area, and the seating radiating out in all directions. Despite its incredible similarity to a mace, Harold was able to predict and project the wonders of the night sky.

Aided by an animated robotic character named ‘Oliver’, the narrator discusses the problematic question of the Big Bang, the discovery of the universe’s expansion using the Doppler Effect, as well as ongoing projects that investigate the great mysteries the cosmos presents us with.

After a brief break, we viewed another theatre program: ‘Night Watch: The Astronomer’s Passion’. This program began with an overview of milestones in the course of astronomy, followed by a rapid slideshow of famous astronomers—after which the narrator remarked that they are currently all dead.

Then, we examined the different theories concerning our place in the universe: from the ridiculous geocentric, to the currently accepted view of just how endless the universe is. This was followed by connections between the science of astronomy, popular culture, and history: constellations, the sun, and the zodiac, as well as the ‘Little Green Men’ radio signal, the new star observed by the Chinese in AD 1140, and finally the current perceptive on supernovas.

Then, the show culminated in a resident astronomer guiding us through the night sky of Vancouver for the night: starting from sunset at 4:55 PM, to Jupiter, Ursa Major and Minor, the Big Dipper, Polaris, Orion’s belt, the Orion Nebula, Taurus, Saturn, Venus, and finally sunrise at approximately 7 AM.

After a time for lunch, we headed down to the exhibits downstairs for a tour of the exhibits (collectively, the ‘Cosmic Courtyard’). Highlights included a simulation of dizziness of space, a looping video concerning the Hubble and Kepler space programs, a discussion of the likeliness of a meteor impact, numerous animated features, a small metal box that fell from a Soviet satellite (later discovered to contain Soviet souvenirs and other paraphernalia), and interactive games simulating a space shuttle docking at the ISS, as well as the virtual planning and launching of a Mars manned mission, facing obstacles such as saboteurs, lack of storage space or supplies, and malfunctioning of essential equipment.

Then, in the live theatre ‘GroundStation Canada’ was a presentation, ‘The Color of Fire’, demonstrating how different chemicals have different light ray signatures (also, colors when burned), and its applications in spectroscopy to investigate the properties of stars such as Polaris. Also discussed were the life cycle of stars, the prospects of another Earth for humans in case our sun expires, and current planet-finding missions. The feature experiment involved lighting chlorides and sulfates, and witnessing colored flames storming through large plastic water jugs.

The visit ended with another stroll through the exhibits, and a moment in Vanier Park’s rolling hills and marine backdrop. As we left the parking lot, some couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the universe.

The HR MacMillan Space Centre is located at 1100 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, in Vanier Park. Look for the Gordon MacMillan Southam Observatory, featuring a ½-metre Cassegrain telescope to explore the skies around Vancouver. Weather permitting, it will be open Saturdays at 8 PM.