Multicolored Artistic Porches Line in Midtown Vancouver

The City of Vancouver’s VIVA cultural program recently displayed the ‘Porch Parade’ as a temporary pedestrian plaza at the historical 800 block of Robson Street. ‘Porch Parade’ featured a mid-street vibrantly colored “party wall” as the most visually defining aspect of the entire functional art piece. Porches straddled the wall to create a “spatially complex yet simply constructed neighborhood.”

The design was created by Chicago-based architectural firm Design With, marking the first time the annual Robson Redux space had been created by international designers and architects.

“The porch is the architectural element that connects people and buildings to the city,” writes the designers. “It is where you cool off on a hot summer day. It is where you greet neighbors passing by.”

“This project presents an ad hoc arrangement of typical domestic front porches, complete with appropriate accoutrements in a parade along Robson Street.”

‘Porch Parade’ remained in the street throughout the summer until Labor Day, when it was scheduled to be disassembled. Some of the structures and items on the porches were donated to various organizations. For instance, the porches were donated to the Vancouver chapter of Habitat for Humanity and used as porches for real homes.

source: artcocktail.mallforarts.com, photography by VIVA Vancouver