Drawhoorah Riot Blog

“To hold, as t’were, the mirror up to nature” -William Shakespeare, Hamlet Act III, Scene 2, 17-24

     Shakespeare felt art was a mirror reflected back at us to reveal the truth, whether it’s good or bad.

But what else does art do? Art encourages discussion, creates an aesthetic and records for history. The Vancouver Hockey Riot of 2011 inadvertently initiated all of these assertions when a week’s long street art movement erupted from the riots' fallout as a loving apology to the world.

     On June 15, 2011, Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada  was hosting game 7 of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Canucks lost and as disheartened fans were starting to leave the arena a fire broke out nearby. The fire evolved into a night long riot where store fronts were smashed, businesses were looted and cars were overturned and set on fire. The police were woefully outnumbered due to internal scheduling conflicts and the 5 hour riot resulted in damages estimated at $4 million dollars.

The images of the riot flew around the world in real time on social media and the world was angry. How could such a seemingly well-heeled city like Vancouver, Canada could even think of rioting? Japan had just suffered a devastating earthquake, there was a famine underway in Somalia and Egypt was going through a revolution.

     But it was also a night where a citizen lead movement emerged to heal the collective and they did it with art.

     People gathered on twitter and Facebook that night to arrange clean-up crews. The next day ordinary people showed up as volunteers to clean up the city by sweeping up broken glass and garbage, hauling away debris, and cleaning away graffiti. They also left art with messages of love and hope on the plywood boards being used to board up shop windows. A police car was covered in post it notes with thank you messages. Snap! A photo was taken and uploaded for the world to see. Another compelling photo emerged. “The Kiss” showed a young couple comforting each other on the pavement after accidently getting caught in between the police, tear gas and rioters.

     These images also went around the world on social media the day after the riots and for weeks after. Vancouverites did not the way they looked in the mirror and had to prove they were sorry and their message stuck. The Vancouver Museum decided to keep the plywood panels as a historical artefact.

     We are now seeing art play a major role in truth seeking as the American Presidency unravels.  When JD Vance and his family left Washington, DC to go skiing in Vermont last spring, little did he know that his travel route would be lined with protestors holding colourful and witty protest signs. Vance didn’t just have to endure the protest on the way to the ski hill; it was waiting for him on the ski hill and it is all over social media to this day. The funny, creative sign art of the Vermont protestors has the publicity staying power that would make any art gallery curator green with envy.

   Just days ago there were photos of Donald Trump and Jeffery Epstein projected onto the walls of a castle and just today a bronze statue of Trump and Epstein holding hands was erected in front of the Whitehouse. The mirror is getting bigger and art continues to hold its place as a tool for discussion, love, regret, rebellion, history and the truth.