June 14, 2024 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Vancouver’s most famous and influential architect, Arthur Erickson. Architecture critic and historian Trevor Boddy (FRAIC) has guest-curated three special events combining dialogue, special guests, and film charting Erickson’s life and creative works—as seen by both documentarians and Hollywood directors; a glimpse at how his ideas and passions transformed Vancouver.
The SFU campus as an evil space-computer hub? Richard Gere and Sharon Stone’s marriage dissolving in the magnificent Great Hall of the UBC Museum of Anthropology? With screenings of Intersection and The Groundstar Conspiracy, plus the superlative documentaries, Concrete Poetry and Arthur Erickson’s Dyde House, Erickson on Film will probe his architecture with enlightened commentary and background on the designs, the designer and the city he loved.
Screenings
- Intersecting Lives: Talk & Intersection Screening: On the 100th anniversary of the birth of Arthur Erickson, Erickson on Film curator Trevor Boddy will give an introductory talk on the architect’s early life and work, followed by a screening of the Vancouver-shot movie Intersection + special guests.
- Documenting the Designer: Talk & Concrete Poetry Screening: As his fame grew, Arthur Erickson became the subject of several documentaries. Curator Trevor Boddy will share clips from several of these as he outlines the later phase of Erickson’s career, and director Michele Smolkin intros her film Concrete Poetry.
- Concrete Poetry & Arthur Erickson’s Dyde House: In this program we pair two of the best documentaries about Arthur Erickson: Michelle Smolkin’s 2002 profile for the CBC, Concrete Poetry, and Colin Waugh’s recent Arthur Erickson’s Dyde House, an insightful look at one of his earliest designs.
- The Smell of Wet Concrete: Talk & The Groundstar Conspiracy Screening: Curator Trevor Boddy discusses Erickson’s major public buildings, including Robson Square, the Waterfall Building, and most important of all, the entire original campus of SFU — which really should have star billing in 1972’s Cold War thriller.
Screening Details
Erickson on Film: A Celebration of Vancouver’s Greatest Architect on his Centenary
June 14, 2024 – June 18, 2024
VIFF Centre
1181 Seymour Street
Vancouver, BC