Lisa G Nielsen and her artist team of four now see the city with fresh eyes when they drive around Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»or roam by bike.
That's because they've spent the last half of the year collecting the personal stories of its residents for the 125 Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Stories project.
They know about the chicken shacks and jazz joints that kept Strathcona and the Downtown Eastside hopping, the woman who ran The Kitsilano Showboat for 40 years, the history of The Railway Club and the intimate struggles, triumphs and life stories of residents of a variety of cultural backgrounds and ages.
Vancouverites can watch the mostly two- and three-minute tales online at vancouverstories125.blogspot.com or among the storytellers and community members at free screenings Oct. 18, 19 and 22.
"There's so much media out there that's about people that are so far removed from us, Hollywood takes up a lot of our time and a lot of reality shows," said Nielsen, former drummer with the defunct band Cub. "The people that are in our own community are interesting enough that I don't think we should ignore these kinds of stories. And people from across age groups and different cultural experiences, they all seem to enjoy it. They all enjoy hearing about other peoples' stories that potentially they can relate to."
Jil P. Weaving, coordinator of arts and culture for the parks board, attended an earlier Kerrisdale screening.
"It was amazing to see and hear more," she said. "All of a sudden, you're sitting in a room where half of the people sitting around you were complete strangers when you walked in the room, and by the end of the screening, you've got this real sense of them and a key story from their past."
Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Stories were produced with federal money through the parks board and three community centres as part of the city's 125 anniversary celebrations and 2011 Cultural Capitals of Canada designation.
Highlights Oct. 22 at Britannia community centre will include the tale of one man, describing himself as the black sheep of his family, who came to Canada from Japan and involved himself in Vancouver's underground jazz scene in the 1970s and later with Japanese seniors, and the funny and touching tale of how adopting a dog from a rescue society changed one woman's life.
The Oct. 18 screening happens at West Point Grey Community Centre starting at 7:30 p.m. The Oct. 19 screening at the Sunset Community Centre starts at 6:30 p.m. The Britannia screening in the Learning Resource Centre starts at 4 p.m., Oct. 22.
Twitter: @Cheryl_Rossi
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Artist posts neighbourhood stories, memories online
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