The newly expanded CBC Vancouver facility is the venue for TAAC's May event with presenters Joost Bakker, Cathy Hunt, and others.

Spring is upon us and represents a time of renewal and reinvigoration. How fitting then that the venue for the next TAAC event is the newly expanded CBC Vancouver facility.

It's also time for our 2010 Annual General Meeting. As always, this official part of the evening promises to be short and sweet; after which we will get a presentation and 'backstage' tour of this iconic and newly refurbished cultural landmark. Confirmed speakers and guides include Joost Bakker of Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects and Cathy Hunt of the CBC. This is a unique opportunity to hear the issues and challenges behind the expansion and learn all that CBC has to offer our community, our organization and the citizens of Canada.

This event is open to both members and non-members of TAAC. Don't miss this chance to be informed and entertained while networking with colleagues, old and new.

6:00 pm Networking Reception with food and no-host bar
6:30 pm Welcome and Presentations
7:00 pm Tours

Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Audience Lounge
CBC Vancouver
700 Hamilton Street
Vancouver, BC, Canada

Spindle whorls were originally small handheld spinning wheels for spinning fibres. Carved by First Nation’s artists to make them more attractive, they have since become an art form, sometimes made in larger sizes like the ones in the Squamish L’íl’wat Cultural Centre At 7½ ft in diameter, these are the largest ever made that actually rotate. Towering over you as you enter the cultural centre, they make an impressive sight.

The Squamish Spindle Whorl is a traditional carving that represents the legend of the two-headed serpent Sinulhkay and the serpent slayer Xwechtáal. The contemporary Lil’wat Spindle Whorl incorporates images of drumming, singing and basket design. Four hands holding cedar boughs represent the union of the four colours of people.

YVR's new Observation Area

Have you ever looked out an airport lounge window before a flight, wondering how (or if) your bags will get from the check-in desk to the airplane? Wondering what the coloured lines painted on the runway mean or why there are so many people out on the airfield?

The new Observation Area at the Vancouver International Airport answers these questions and many more. The Observation Area, opened on July 16th 2009, allows visitors to get a close-up view of airplanes and operations on the tarmac below. Located in the public, pre-security area of the Domestic Terminal and free for all visitors, the Observation Area is intended to attract locals as well as passengers passing through the airport.
Interactive computer exhibits, interpretive graphics and free, high-power telescopes engage visitors in the day-to-day operations of the Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and the natural and cultural history of Sea Island.

TAA members AldrichPears Associates, ConeHouse Inc. and Artcraft Display Graphics worked with Kasian Architects and the Vancouver Airport Authority to create this observation area and interpretive exhibit—the only one of its kind in North America.

The key to creating a successful exhibit was to tell the stories of YVR from multiple perspectives.