The Vancouver Art Gallery is currently presenting "Future Geographies," an exhibition centered on the intersection of art and climate change. a primary highlight is an immersive video installation that transports visitors into the endangered old-growth forests of British Columbia.
The 1,800-year-old cedar dome of Sanctuary
At the heart of the exhibition is Sanctuary: The Ancient Forest Experience, a project created by Skwxwú7mesh artist T'uy't'tanat Cease Wyss in partnership with filmmakers Olivier Leroux and Damien Gillis. According to the report, the installation utilizes a 360-degree video projected inside a dome designed to mimic an 1,800-year-old cedar tree. This immersive environment allows viewers to experience remote, difficult-to-reach terrains of British Columbia's ancient ecosystems.
The narrative of the installation does more than showcase beauty; it juxtaposes Indigenous ecological knowledge with the harsh realities of the logging industry. The project specifically highlights the industry's reliance on plantation forestry and clear-cutting, framing the experience as a direct call to action to preserve these sacred spaces. To provide a path for this action , the installation encourages visitors to support conservation organizations such as A Rocha Canada.
UBC's Climate Modelling Group and the bridge to art
Curator Lauren Respini designed the "Future Geographies" exhibition to foster a rigorous dialogue between the creative and scientific communities. As reported, the exhibition integrates climate science through a series of videos produced in collaboration with the University of British Columbia's Climate Modelling Group. This partnership ensures that the artistic expressions are grounded in empirical data regarding the century of climate change.
This blend of science and art is further exemplified in the work of Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. His painting, Lets'lo:tseltun, The Impending Fire Storms, offers a haunting visual representation of environmental crisis. The exhibition's timing is particularly poignant, as the themes of fire and destruction align with the onset of the regional wildfire season, making the work more visceral for the local audience.
Vancouver's lost forests from 300 years ago
The exhibition serves as a spatial reminder of the environmental transformation of the Pacific Northwest. The Vancouver Art Gallery notes that the very land upon which the gallery stands was once an old-growth forest. Between 200 and 300 years ago, giant cedars similar to those featured in the Sanctuary installation dominated the landscape where the city's urban core now exists.
By comparing the height and dimensions of modern skyscrapers to the scale of ancient cedar groves, the exhibition forces a confrontation with what has been lost to urbanization.. This historical perspective frames the current fight for British Columbia's remaining old-growth forests not just as a conservation effort, but as a struggle to protect the last remnants of a landscape that once defined the entire region.
The specific goals of A Rocha Canada and the logging industry's response
While the exhibition providdes a strong platform for Indigenous voices and climate scientists, certain details remain unexplored. For instance , the report mentions A Rocha Canada as a recommended organization for support, but it does not detail the specific conservation strategies or policy goals that this organization is currently pursuing to save old-growth forests.
Furthermore, the installation presents a stark critique of the logging industry's clear-cutting practices, yet the exhibition does not appear to include a counter-perspective or a response from industry representatives. It remains unclear if the Vancouver Art Gallery sought input from forestry stakeholders to create a multi-sided dialogue on the economic tensions between logging and preservation.
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