TILT City aims to bring Downtown Vancouver streets alive

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – From urban street art to pop-up performances: You might come across bursts of creativity tomorrow in Downtown Vancouver on Wednesday.

Dozens of teams taking part in TILT City are being challenged with bringing a street corner alive.

Janet Webber with SFU Public Square says the teams and their locations are completely random.

“All the teams are going to be assigned in the morning; they have no idea who’s on their team,” she explains. “We are having the group… throw a dart at a map of Vancouver… and that’s going to determine their location for the day.”

The teams’ supplies and cash flow will be limited.

“We’re going to be providing them some baseline arts and crafts supplies — spray glue, construction paper, and a connection with a print shop that will print stuff out for us,” says Webber. “As well, the teams are each going to be given a secret envelope. In that envelope, there’s anything from zero to maybe $100. Each team will be given a random amount of money. They’re able to go out and purchase some supplies from local vendors.

So what could this outdoor creativity look like?

“It could be anything from a choir to a built form to a sidewalk chalk mural to a high-five zone. Anything that your imagination can possibly think of. The possibilities are endless.”

Webber says the point is to remind Vancouverites that their voices matter. “They are integral to the shaping and forming of the city… Cities need to be reflections of the people who live in them.”