‘Rewilding Vancouver‘ opened at the Museum of Vancouver last week. The exhibit, which features taxidermy specimens, 3D models, soundscapes, photos and videos, was co-curated by Viviane Gosselin and author J. B. MacKinnon who may be best known for his book, ‘The Hundred Mile Diet’.
But it was his latest book, ‘The Once and Future World’, that inspired this show. Vivian Gosselin explained that the idea of shifting baselines is at the heart of the exhibit. The idea that what one grows up with is what one considers normal, but over successive generations that can change drastically. For example the coyotes that are a common sight in Vancouver these days only moved into the city in the early 1980’s.
Buillding environmental literacy
Viviane Gosselin described it as an attempt to build environmental literary by looking at the city from an ecologically historical perspective; one that can reveal some interesting surprises.
Like the story of the Crested Myna birds that brought birders from across Canada to Vancouver to see them. The birds arrived in Vancouver as pets in the 1890’s, brought by Chinese immigrants. Over time they escaped their cages and in the mild climate they began to thrive. Vivian Gosselin explained, however, that, improved building codes began shutting the birds out of their usual nesting routines in open buildings. The last couple of Crested Mynas died in 2004, each one hit by a car.
The exhibit runs through the summer until September 1st. It is hoped that other Canadian cities will follow the example and perhaps we’ll see ‘Rewilding Toronto’ next.
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