Brendan Avery

*Microscopes & Telescopes: Redefinitions of the City* is a project conceived by Vancouver
architect Marc Boutin who is working in collaboration with five students and graduates of architecture: David Carter, Brendan Avery, Alex Percy, Robert Plain, and Andrew Tankard. The exhibition will present an exploration of the relationship between the urban environment and public space in Vancouver and will consist of installations and large montaged wall pieces that focus on three themes: Transformation of the City Edge — reclaiming territories at Burrard Inlet; Topography and the Cartesian — the dialogue between topography and the city grid in the downtown core; Cities in the Air — the abstraction of the ground-plane at False Creek.

Using these themes, the architects will be working without the limitations of current city planning and zoning by-laws to offer new ways of thinking about the city — a synthesis of reflection and speculation for a new city vision. While it is not expected that these projects will ever be realized, their purpose is to bring into dialogue broader ideas about Vancouver's potential as an urban construct.

*Microscopes & Telescopes* is timely relative to the many public discussions currently centred around how Vancouver's accelerating growth is impacting on the role of public space. Vancouver is at an important stage in its development as a metropolis and the neighbourhood surrounding the gallery, in particular, is on the verge of transformation.

Curated by Marc Boutin


A closeup of a hand holding two horizontal papers. The one in front shows a map of downtown Vancouver and its neighbourhoods. The one in the back shows a blue oval with partially visible white text.

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A large photo print hangs in a glass display on a street front. The photo has a red border and shows a person with their hand on their hip. In front of them, a closeup of a handgun in a red circle. 

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In a gallery space, 6 sets of 2 stacked photos hang on the wall. The photos are duotone in red, turquoise, orange, blue, yellow, and purple. They show different city scenes like restaurants and parks. 

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A dark photo in a bus shelter shows a person with makeup in a suit looking to the side dramatically. Orange text at the bottom of the image reads "She liked to walk through the city at night."

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At the side of a dark building at night, there is a large black photo print with red text reading "she liked to walk through the city at night taking pleasure in the anonymity of darkness." 

Brendan Avery

Exhibitions