When maintenance workers are climbing through Nanaimo Street鈥檚 sewer lines in the future, they鈥檒l get to see something most Vancouverites won鈥檛 鈥� a secret underground art show.
Well, it鈥檚 not so much a secret but it won鈥檛 be accessible to the general public.
Up to 180 residents of all ages came together last weekend for the City of Vancouver鈥檚 Painting on the Sewer Lines day, a family-friendly event that invited residents to add their own splash of colour to the Nanaimo Street upgrades.
Eventually, these colourful pipes will be installed as a part of the upgrades to critical sewer infrastructure along Nanaimo Street from McGill Street to Fourth Avenue.
You may be thinking why the city decided to ask residents to paint sewer pipes very few people will get to see. It was all about engaging residents in learning about the essential engineering infrastructure that plays a large and often unseen role in our everyday lives.
Engineering artist-in-residence Germaine Koh, who helped plan the event and established its concept, was proud of the event鈥檚 ability to bring residents young and old into the process of infrastructure upgrades.
鈥淚t was a fun street party that brought the neighbourhood together, but it was also meant as an entry point for residents to better understand their city,鈥� she said.
鈥淭o me, the end product was less important than bringing the local community together to build memories about their neighbourhood 鈥� but many of the residents were also happy to hear that the maintenance workers climbing through these pipes would see their painting.
鈥淚 hope we鈥檝e given them (residents) a reason to think about and feel connected to the infrastructure beneath their feet.鈥�
