Zac Whyte's Personal Blog & Links

After indulging in an Urban Fare Panini sandwich made with Provolone cheese, Genoa salami and eight year old balsamic vinegar, it seemed fitting to take pause and view artwork from one of the most reputed Italian thinkers in history. In the post Olympic hangover of Vancouver I was expecting quiet halls at Vancouver Art Gallery’s Leonardo da Vinci – Mechanics of Man & More exhibit but those expectations quickly dissipated in the grey drizzle of a kinetic Sunday afternoon. Over 100,000 people visited the da Vinci exhibit over the 17 day Winter Olympics celebrations downtown and the numbers continue to grow by 6000-7000 people every day. For twenty dollars, the da Vinci exhibit is a once in a lifetime opportunity that’s well worth an hour of your undivided imagination.

Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous names in history. He was a true renaissance man, a term referring to men like Leonardo who were exceptional in many fields, and his works arguably define the breadth of research and artistic expression that took place during the hundred years on both sides of his lifetime. Born in 1452, Leonardo filled his life with European travel, study and the creation of master works until his death in France in 1519.

Da Vinci’s exhibited collection, named Anatomical Manuscript A at VAG, is currently on loan from the private collection of Queen Elizabeth II. In total there are 18 extremely detailed pen and ink drawings in the collection that focus on defining different parts of the human body. These drawings were created by da Vinci in the winter of 1510-1511 while in France under the supervision of the Professor of Anatomy at the University of Pavia in Marcantonio della Torre. Drawing anatomical pictures of dead bodies was not common at this time in history and Leonardo needed a lifetime of proven artistic experience to earn the opportunity. Leonardo wanted to better understand how the human body looked below the surface of the skin in order to create more realistic and anatomically correct paintings of people.

Mechanics of Man & More runs seven days a week until May 2nd so there is still plenty of time to experience the brilliance of the Renaissance in your own backyard. It is an opportunity I didn’t want to miss so I made the weekend trip to Vancouver from Courtenay on Vancouver Island. Of course, just getting in the door at VAG is always an adventure. Today offered a musical protest against Iran’s current fundamentalist government. So, after dancing through contemporary politics I danced through the gallery doors into an ageless crowd of multicultural diversity.

Inside the exhibit, children were being delicately instructed by parents about the body movements that da Vinci illustrated so carefully in his drawings. This communication between age groups immediately brought the excitement of the exhibit to life for me. The crowds were practically swimming together in different sections of the gallery as they collectively inspected and acted out each picture like mimes.  A group in one section of a room rotated their shoulders in a front crawl motion after inspecting drawings of shoulder muscles in different positions, while a group on the other side extended their necks like newborn chicks in a robin’s nest in response to da Vinci’s illustrations of the human throat. At first, I thought this behavior was really odd but I caught myself subconsciously acting out the drawings more than once throughout my hour and half visit.

In his drawings da Vinci focuses on muscle definition and bones in different movement patterns. Drawing 5v for example, depicts a sequenced shoulder rotation. Every muscle fibre, tendon and bone is  presented with such clarity and accuracy that these drawings are still considered the best medical drawings ever created by hand. Leonardo da Vinci’s work is also a foundational starting point for many artistic techniques, such as “thread diagrams,” rotational views and my personal favorite, exploded views. Today, we see these techniques used in marketing material, on television and in books. We take them for granted but remarkably they didn’t exist until da Vinci merged his artistic study with scientific research.

In the main entrance hall of the gallery people lowered their conversations, swiveled their heads and leaned in to hear the gallery curator, Ian Thom, provide a well rehearsed presentation.  Ian took on his role as senior curator at VAG in 1988. He is one of the many presenters at VAG who points out interesting details in Leonardo’s drawings. While over 100 people crowded tightly around him,  I took the opportunity to experience sections of the gallery in solitude.

I’ve read the books, I’ve seen the PBS specials, and I’ve even replicated a few da Vinci inventions out of Lego. However, seeing da Vinci’s art in these mediums is one thing and experiencing the originals up close is another. The exhibit is laid out in a series of rooms where the drawings are displayed in glass on pedestals, enabling the viewers to see the front and back of each page. The walls in each display room are painted a deep shade of red ochre with quotes from Leonardo’s writings printed in enlarged cream text.  My favorite quote in the exhibit is the following: “While human ingenuity may devise various inventions to the same ends, it will never devise anything more beautiful, nor more simple, nor more to the purpose than nature does, because in her inventions nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous.”  Meditating on these words and imagining da Vinci drawing the works in front of me was an awesome experience, more amazing than I had imagined it would be.  I truly understand and appreciate the magnitude of Leonardo daVinci’s greatness.

In addition to the amazing drawing, da Vinci’s notes, that filled the white space between his poignant diagrams, were art in and of themselves. They are written in mirror writing. It really exists! Da Vinci wrote backwards from right to left so when the page is held to a mirror the script becomes legible. I remember attempting this after learning how to write at the age of six but what I didn’t know is that da Vinci wrote this way to be practical, not because he was trying to write in code. One of the gallery attendants explained that da Vinci was left handed and he wrote backwards so that he didn’t smudge the ink with his hand. It’s tidbits of information like this that made the whole experience so dynamic. It filled in the gaps of my knowledge of da Vinci.

Da Vinci’s appetite for knowledge acquisition, his inventions and his artistic expression continue to resonate through contemporary Western culture. Corporate research and development ventures like Microsoft use da Vinci’s works and inventive spirit as their benchmark of inspiration. Microsoft’s CEO Bill Gates purchased one of two of the remaining da Vinci Notebooks for US$30.8 million in 1994 and propelled himself and his company to the top echelon of the business ladder. Furthermore, da Vinci has been the subject of many non-fiction and fiction publications. Contemporary publications about da Vince are numerous but Dan Brown’s fictional thriller The Da Vinci Code, is one of the most profitable books in history, a testament to the world’s fascination with da Vinci’s ingenuity and his timeless legacy.

This extraordinary exhibit has far surpassed my expectations. It has also shattered every attendance record at VAG several times over. This is a bold statement demonstrating the great interest of the general public in Leonardo da Vinci, and a timely statement in the wake of federal cutbacks to arts and culture budgets in 2009. This exhibit is for everyone. It can be enjoyed by every age group and cultural background. The brilliance of da Vinci’s art work is a treasure of human history because it took a lifetime of study to create. Mechanics of Man & More needs to be seen, examined and experienced by each individual’s own eyes. Vancouver Art Gallery is located on 750 Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver. For more information about gallery hours and presentation times visit www.vanartgallery.bc.ca or call the information line at 604-662-4719 for more details.

Facebook Groups and Twitter Trends step aside, artists are taking networks to a whole new level of retro chic around the world. This month the Comox Valley Art Gallery on 580 Duncan Avenue is debuting The Mail Art Olympix from November 14th to December 31st, 2009. Admission is free but donations are always accepted, even in the form of postage stamps. This show is a must see for ages 12 and up.

The Mail Art Olympix is the brain child of project curator Ed Varney, a resident of Royston, BC. Ed has been a part of the Mail Art Network since the 70’s when it began with a small group of alternative artists.

Mail art originated as a creative way for artists to meet each other. The process begins when an artist sends another artist a personalized piece of art through the mail. In return the artist who receives the art reciprocates the calling card by mailing a piece of their own art back and voila, a connection is made.

Sending mail art is pleasurable because the person receiving it has a discerning artist’s eye and likeminded passion for creativity. Artists under oppressive governments correspond with artists in the free world; professional artists trade work with hobbyists; poor with rich; Muslims with atheists, and happy people meet the sad. All of this happens on a daily basis for one reason - the pure enjoyment of sharing ideas with a stranger. This is the essence of mail art.

It sounds old fashioned but mail art is more popular now than it has ever been. It’s the punk rock of artwork for xenophiles. It bucks social norms of electronic communication by reintroducing mailboxes to our lives. Unlike a 140 character bastardization of English sent from a cell phone on Twitter, mail art can take hours or days to create and even longer to deliver. The thrill is in the time the art takes to create and the emotion it evokes in everyone involved. 

The concept is what the Mail Art Olympix is all about. To create this show Ed Varney sent out invitations to hundreds of artists around the globe. He asked people to send him mail art. Ed wanted to capture a cross-section of mail art specimens for the world to see. To focus the show he chose three popular mail art themes: self portraits, manifestos, and stamps. Over 350 artists in 42 countries responded. It’s an impressive collection and the largest catalogue of mail art owned by a single person in the world. To stay true to the mail art code Ed Varney will now create a book of the entire collection and artist addresses and send it to each Olympix contributor.

When I first walked into the gallery I was perplexed. Was this art all from the same artist? The work as a collection is connected in some strange way. It feels alive. On first glance the art elicited a moment similar to those few seconds before falling asleep when reality ties itself to your sub-consciousness. Mail art is often intense and definitely interesting enough to spend time with.

The ways that people present themselves in self portraits and on the stamps are intriguing. I seem to revel in the fact that I can pigeonhole art into categories like obsessive, funny, or well intentioned. However, it’s the depth of each piece that keeps me looking and reinterpreting my quick judgment. There’s a pleasure in learning about how my mind works when I’m looking at a stranger’s self portrait.

Walking through the gallery many of the mail art manifestos seem to ask for a few seconds of my time. A political theory like “Leninism” or a contemporary issue like “Aids” jump off the page like a slap and a whisper initially, and then context begins to sink in; eastern block and eastern Africa. The addresses on the mail art seem to create a permanent connection between myself, the art, and the artist. The words are simply the hook.

There are some important ideas on these walls. It takes trust to send a piece of yourself, a work of your art into the unknown. It takes confidence. Every piece of art in this exhibit is a hand reaching out to be held and an idea waiting to be understood. That aspect of the exhibit alone is worth experiencing.

The most exciting part of this exhibit is its concept. The Comox Valley Art Gallery is hosting ”Show and Tell” events on Wednesday December 2nd and Wednesday December 9th . Ed Varney will be available to answer questions about the artwork, artists and Mail Art community.

The Mail Art Olympix gallery exhibit is more than just a bunch of drawings and collages; it is an expressive collection of work that connects time and space. In the maturing era of global communications technology the Mail Art Olympix is refreshingly retro. There’s still time to get your art in the next exhibit but to find out how you will have to visit the Comox Valley Art Gallery this December. For more information visit www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com

The artists at Black Rose Tattoos on 5th Street in Courtenay Van Potvin, Cody Walsh and Curt Christensen donated 10% of their tattoo income in the beginning of July to Connecting With Kenya. These phenomenal artists are leading the downtown core in social entrepreneurship by benefiting the less fortunate simply by doing what they do best. Their initiative raised $466.10, which is enough to provide school supplies for a year in CWK’s Pimbiniet School in Kenya. Obviously, the guys feel great about what they have accomplished and they should be proud. “It’s one thing to think about it and it’s another thing to just do it,” Curt said. The doors are always open at Black Rose Tattoos and Piercing so if you’re thinking about beautifying your body with new ink, this is the place to go.  This was the final fundraising initiative for Connecting With Kenya. This year the donations totaled just under $41,000.

It was an amazing day today. The grade six and seven classes at Ecole Robb Road in Comox completed their Global Activism Projects. The students paired up and decided on an issue to learn about, bring awareness to, and fund raise for. Projects included animal rights, global warming, HIV & AIDS, polar bear adoptions, human extinction, drinking and driving, water conservancy, and child slavery to name just a few.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of speaking to the kids about engaging in the world around them. Seeing the optimism painted on their faces was a real thrill. "Some of the kids were ready to save the world entirely so we needed to reign in the projects a little, so they could accomplish success in three weeks," said Denis Morin, a teacher at Ecole Robb Road.

Over the next three weeks all of the youth created blogs highlighting their issues and solutions. Some launched awareness campaigns in the Comox Mall. They also solicited donations and sold things to raise money. Two of the youth speaking out on water consumption designed a game to help people understand their message in a fun way. "People approached us to give it a try and some of them were really good at it," one of the boys said gleefully.

Today was a debrief and reflection day. All of the students learned something from doing the projects. One girl in particular found more compassion for birds by taking on an avian rescue project. "I didn't even like birds to begin with," she stated, "but now I really think this is something that I'll stick with." This sparked a conversation about trying new things. We also discussed complexities of the global economy, legalities of protest, and telling the consumer market what is ethically acceptable, not letting the market tell them. Most importantly though, many of the kids felt a shift in their empowerment levels. It is my favorite thing in life to witness.

Thanks for including me in your projects  Ecole Robb Road. I am inspired by your action.

On the very last day of classes GP Vanier's Leadership 12 class presented a cheque for $350 to me for Connecting With Kenya. The class held a burger BBQ at lunch time to raise the money. 160 beef, chicken and veggie burgers, sizzled on the grill thanks to some generous help from Thrifty Foods and Superstore. The students held a beach day that included a car stereo and limbo contest. Naturally, beach attire was mandatory.

GP Vanier has some huge plans for some juicy human goodness in the next school year. Leadership 12 instructor Tim Krutzman announced goals to raise $10000 for the Terry Fox Foundation. The packed gymnasium at Vanier rallied behind the idea with cheers of support. "We've raised about $40,000 over the past 9 years," Krutzmann said.

Vanier continues to bridge itself with the global community year after year. Highlights of 08/09 also included the musical slam dunk Vanier Idol. 200 students tried out and 8 eventually made it to the finals. Over 700 students cheered on the contestants. To continue the talent search Vanier Leadership threw a Dance Off Competition. 800 cheering fans rattled the walls for hip-hop, ballet and pop classic Napoleon Dynamite routines.

Another notable effort over the past 2 years raised $2500 for school desks to be made in Zambia and then distributed in an elementary school. Over $1000 of that money was raised at a school dance this year. Car washes took care of the rest.

In total these events required significant effort but in return they strengthened Vanier and the global community.  I am very proud to be an alumni of GP Vanier because year after year it continues to contribute. Good people work between those walls and more are on the way. Until next year Towhees.

GP Vanier's Interact Club made cheque presentations to multiple organizations based in the Comox Valley today. One of those lucky causes was Connecting With Kenya. Club member Brett Trainor (left) has been instrumental in the efforts of creating awareness and raising funds for Connecting With Kenya at Vanier. The club raised the money by selling CWK Alternate Gift Cards over the past two months.

Connecting With Kenya is a Vancouver Island based initiative supporting Free The Children's Adopt A Village program in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya.

Artist Anika Barlow was also present. Her stunning image was a popular card this year. She also donated the original artwork for auction at the Highland Interact International Dinner in February 2009.

Asante sana GP Vanier
For more information on purchasing Alternate Gift Cards visit ConnectingWithKenya.com

Mark R. Isfeld Interact Club worked hard this year to raise over $1400 for Connecting With Kenya. The group rallied the entire school  to participate in two fundraisers. The first was a hotdog roast. The second was a hugely successful beard shaving of Mr. Barry Walker. "Mr. Walker had his beard for 20 years," said Christine Law, president of the club. The campaign was called Barry Minus Harry and it raised over $1200.

Youth involved with Isfeld's Interact Club are doing a fantastic job. They worked to benefit over 20 projects this year. Thanks for "Being the Change Isfeld."

For more information on getting involved in this cause visit http://connectingwithkenya.com

I was in Campbell River yesterday working on a video project. At first it appeared to be a classic science fair complete with the usual projects of the exploding volcano, electric lemons and the ol’ tornado in a bottle. However, this fair had a twist that made it unique; it was an Aboriginal themed Science Fair Celebration. Student displays focused on Aboriginal Science or they connected "modern" science to traditional Aboriginal Science.  Some of the best examples were how to tan leather, creating paint from natural products, optimal displacement of different canoe designs, astronomy, harmonics from instruments, cedar bark weaving, drumming and rhythm, and my favorite; medicinal plants. All of the 170 projects were fascinating.

Two grade 6 girls actually gathered 20 varieties of medicinal plants and tested their properties to numb cuts on the skin. They excitedly told me that “we found one that worked well but we later found out that it was carcinogenic.” “Did you just say carcinogenic,” I asked. “Yes, it means that it causes cancer,” she said, surprised that I didn’t know what carcinogenic meant, hahaha, beautiful. I later found out that one of the girls would like to be a biologist and the other a doctor.

The project was in conjunction with the Science Fair Foundation of BC, MISTIC, and School District #72. Youth aged 8-11 participated. The pilot project will serve as a model for the evolution of science fairs and to be honest, it was an experience. After presenting their projects the kids went on a scavenger hunt to explore other people’s projects. Science World even came and did demonstrations that had all the “schazam,” Science World is known for. The looks on the kid’s faces were hilarious.

After lunch I spoke to the group briefly about science in other cultures around the world. The children now identified with our culture and it was great to see them expanding their understanding to a global level. I explained to them how kids in parts of Uganda and Kenya learn to grow plants at school, how to build tools, and raise animals. It was fun. This group photograph is for the kids in Africa and the kids in South East Asia who, “maybe like science too.”

More information and a video of the project will be available soon from the Science Fair Foundation of BC at http://www.sciencefairs.ca/ and on zactv.com

Sipping hot coffee in a mom and pop café in Yale Town Vancouver I’m absorbing the power of last night’s celebration “West Fest – FTC Lands in BC.” Free The Children launched a new office in Vancouver, BC, Canada to support youth in action groups throughout the Northwest. To mark the occasion a well organized team packed the Vogue Theatre with about 800 screaming secondary students and corporate sponsors. Many came to see FTC founder Craig Kielburger and Me To We Executive Director Marc Kielburger. The brothers were joined by headline band Marianas Trench. They rocked the house with Carly Rae Jepsen and Loise Kent.  Jessi Cruikshank from MTV Canada was the master of ceremonies; she too drew a large audience. The most powerful presentation of the evening came from a former child soldier from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Me To We orator Michel Chikwanine spoke to the crowd masterfully and told his story of a war torn childhood, his father’s activism, and the importance of standing up for human rights, “even when it’s difficult.”

I count myself lucky to have sat with Michel several times backstage before the celebration and throughout the evening. We spoke a lot to calm his nervousness but it was all part of his pre-show ritual. “I get nervous before every presentation. It’s a good thing though because I know that it will be good. If I don’t get nervous it won’t be good.”  As we discussed various topics about his travels and experiences speaking in schools around North America he began to settle into a rhythm. Michel has overcome experiences that no human should ever have to witness or participate in. He is healing because he has assigned himself a purpose.

 Michel’s father was a human rights activist who managed to ruffle the feathers of political regimes throughout Sub-Saharan Africa and he died of sickness in a refugee camp while being hunted for his convictions. To this day, Michel can’t return to the African continent because he carries a legacy of his father; a legacy of creating equal human rights for everyone. “There are many times that I want to stop but it’s important for me to tell my story. I know that my father would be proud,” he said.   

We compared notes on speaking in schools. Michel has been touring North America for a solid year and a half with the “O Ambassadors Program” (Oprah’s FTC initiative). With big smiles in a dingy dressing room we spoke about individual kids and reveled in their emotional connections after presentations. Michel spoke about some of his most powerful experiences in the past year and one in particular really stuck with him. “I was in Compton California speaking to a school full of gang members. At the end of the talk a gang member came up to me and said he couldn’t believe that the rest of the world was like that. He took off his red bandana and threw it on the ground in front of the whole school! Then he walked out.” Michel was excited in retelling the story to me. He connected with the school audience and helped a teenager find the courage to stand up against ignorance and denounce his destructive lifestyle. To me, this is what the Free The Children movement is all about. Everybody knows the difference between right and wrong in their heart. The first minute takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, and after that all you need to do is be yourself.

Without question I was privy to an interesting perspective of a crazy line-up of energetic performances. I was shooting the EPK video (Electronic Press Kit) with the FTC videographer. Most of my time was spent running between backstage, on-stage and in-front of the stage to gather shots. Let’s just say being on that stage is a rush in the middle of a heavy rock show. A theatre full of screaming fans and blasting amps is, for lack of a better term, off the hook.

Free The Children’s WestFest brought together like minded youth, shamelessly idealistic presenters and engaging musicians. After immersing yourself in the moment it’s easy to forget that the world is more complicated than that but this event was more than just smiling faces and big ideas. It was an example that you could feel, see, hear, and touch.  Being surrounded in acceptance, happiness, and hundreds of hugs and high-fives is, pretty cool. For a brief moment in time in an old theater, a window to the future opened. The human rights movement is alive and well in the Northwest.

Many people made this trip possible for me and I would like to thank my wife Alissa for her incredible support, Marc St.Jules for covering my travel costs and transport to and from the ferry. I’d also like to extend my sincere thanks to Geoff Last for his hospitality in feeding me and putting a roof over my head. Without you guys I wouldn’t be able to shoot this video. FTC is doing amazing things, thanks for being the change.

Please take the time to visit FreeTheChildren.com and find out how you can join the movement.