Arts and Entertainment
Shambhala Music Festival is Fully Legal Now – 2018 Recap
At 21 years old, Shambhala Music Festival is the longest running music festival in Western Canada. And that is no easy feat. Logistics, the falling Canadian dollar and rising gas prices all make putting together a festival pretty daunting task. Not to mention, the B.C. wild fires engulfing nearby areas, closing down roads and cancelling flights to the nearby airport in Castlegar. It’s also challenging that the festival takes place in Salmo (population of 1,130), which is in the middle of nowhere British Columbia. With an attendance of 17,000 (plus a rumoured 7000 more tickets sold this year), that is over 15 times the population!
What keeps this festival going is not only the rising popularity of electronic music, but also the vibe, the production and the cult following of their attendees. Calling themselves “Shambhalovies”, the attendees are happy, go lucky and caring. Upon entering the site, you’ll hear “happy Shambhala!” said amongst each other, followed by a hug or at the very least a fist bump. Basically, over the years, whether it is your first or your 12th, you are now considered, “farmily”.
But of course it’s not always “daisies and unicorns” when you get that many people together. There were reports of theft, a police incident that happened right before the festival, people taking one too many drugs or taking drugs that turned out to quite not what they seemed… But thankfully for the drugs and knowing what they are, there is ANKORS, a non-profit that will test your drugs on site for you to know what is in them and they are as they’re supposed to be. This year, Shambhala had given ANKORS money for a FTIR spectrometer, which is a machine that tells you exactly what is in your drugs.
Another great resource Shambhala offers is the “sanctuary”. Here is a place, in a shaded area, where there are hammocks set up and volunteers aplenty, if you need to talk to someone, did one too many substances, feeling overwhelmed, tired or just need to step away from the party. This year, was actually one of the hottest Shambhala’s on record (41 degrees Celsius!), so a lot of people ended up in the sanctuary or first aid due to heat stroke and NOT drugs.
This year’s line-up was one of Shambhala’s biggest yet. With the festival the largest it has ever been, they decided to bring in some big hitters. With the exclusion of Shambhala Village stage mainstays Excision and Datsik, the organizers brought, for his first time in Canada, Grime legend Dizzee Rascal and lots of drum and bass including Austria’s Camo and Krooked, new up and comers Phibes, notable ragga vocalist General Levy and jungle music legend, Aphrodite. Plus dubstep and grime dons, Kahn & Neek and D Double E (who did a surprise set by MCing for Kahn & Neek). In fact, they didn’t miss Datsik that much, that someone had implanted a tombstone on the festival site, with Datsik’s logo strown across it. R.I.P.
Of course, attendees of Shambhala are electronic dance music fans of both a long time or just recently discovered the genre. That being said, most people come with open ears and open minds, so what better way to put some names on the map than to have a label show case. Two notable labels included 1985 and Chord Maruders, and while not a label showcase, there was a Dirtybird Records label takeover. On Friday, Dirtybird brought their own style of house starting with Fisher, and then Kyle Watson was up next.
Kyle Watson, hailing all the way from South Africa, this young one to look for kept Pagoda, Shambhala’s main stage packed from start to finish with his brand of house and bass music. Then, of course, you had label heads Justin Martin and Claude Von Stroke (with extra dose of Barclay Crenshaw on the side at another stage), who played a really fun set to a crowd full of people in Dirtybird garb and Dirtybird totems. Ending the night was the other Martin brother, Christian, who kept the party going into the wee hours of the morning.
1985 records is a drum and bass record label based out of the UK, started by Shambhala alumni, Alix Perez. Saturday night at the Amphitheatre was taken over by Perez and some of his best mates (Monty, Skeptical and Chimpo) for some straight up drum and bass, and grime. Up and comer Monty started the night off, followed by Skeptical, label head Perez, and finish up the show case, Chimpo.
The lastly, closing out the festival was the Chord Maruders, A collective/label consisting of FLO, Congi, B9 and Jafu, they brought in the early morning with their version of soothing, warm dubstep that was fitting for sunrise and the best music to play on the Funtkion One system in the wee morning.
Some yearly traditions were brought back again this year, including the Sunday afternoon Fractal Funk jam with the Smalltown DJ’s and other special guests (this years guests included Mat the Alien, Slynk and Skiitour) playing the best in funk and old school house on 45’s, the Black Tiger Sex Machine Sunday night “church” set where their fan club (and regular attendees) would all come together for a sort of a sermon (which packed the main stage Pagoda to the nines) and the Destructo sunrise sermon, that has been a ritual at the festival for the past three years.
Some artists were back on the line up this year, Adventure Club and Rezz, (who by the way brought the biggest crowd the Pagoda stage has ever seen before) making up for last year and some artists (DJ EZ and Joker) who couldn’t make it, also due in part of the wildfires. But the one of the biggest draws of the weekend was the Glitch Mob, a collective of edIT, Boreta and Ooah (and Kraddy, who has since left) from L.A. who got together and formed at this very festival in 2006.
Shambhala is a festival that is getting larger and larger by the year. This year saw an inclusion of a wedding chapel, which a few lucky couples get married, along with countless number of proposals and engagement photos. After seeing it evolve to from a 500 person birthday party, to one of Western Canada’s longest running festival is truly something. Much like buying someone $400 worth of poutine in a wheel barrel for someone’s birthday (like someone did for an attendee early Monday morning on the dancefloor), you have to see it to believe it.
And yes, while there may have been a logistical problem getting out of the festival (with some people waiting 6+ hours to leave the actual ranch itself and being encouraged by the minister of transportation to stay an extra night) would this author do this festival again and again? Absolutely. For the love, the people, the lights, the sounds and that big, dirty, stinking, bass.
By Michelle Swami and Ryan Rose
Photos: Ryan Rose
The city has been a prime location for many famous TV shows. Here is a list of some of our favourite shows filmed in Surrey.
Riverdale
You’ll be surprised to know that the hit Netflix series Riverdale has filmed some scenes in Surrey, along with other famous places across BC like Rocko’s Diner and the Twilight Drive-In Theatre. The most notable place in Surrey is Bear Creek Park where in Season 5 the football workout scene was filmed.
The Flash
Not to be confused with the movie featuring Ezra Miller (who knows what’s happening with the DC movies anyway?), CW’s The Flash has also filmed around Surrey and the Lower Mainland. You can see many familiar places like Surrey City Hall and Central City Mall.
Turner & Hooch (2021)
While this show may claim to take place in San Francisco, and it’ll do everything it can to convince you it was filmed there, this remake starring Josh Peck was filmed right here in BC. Specifically, the exterior of the police station that Turner works at is Surrey City Hall. You can even see the evidence of the Take Five afe right outside.
Peacemaker
The DC movie universe just seems to love filming in Surrey. Peacemaker, starring everyone’s favourite John Cena, filmed scenes in Surrey.
The Good Doctor
Surrey’s City Hall can be seen in The Good Doctor as the exterior of the San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. Now why they wouldn’t use the actual Surrey Memorial Hospital as a hospital is beyond us.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has used a couple of different locations in Surrey for filler shots like in Redwood Park for scenes in the woods. But it also converted a closed storefront into Cerberus Books, a bookstore from the series. Without the signs, it may be difficult to locate, but you can find the building used for this bookstore at 5657 176 St.
The Stand
Based on the book of the same name by Steven King, The Stand was also filmed in Surrey. Starring Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgård, and James Marsden (yes, this is the guy from Sonic the Hedgehog), this story takes place “After the world is in ruins, due to a man-made plague,” and “a battle of biblical proportions ensues between the survivors.” It shot scenes throughout BC, but most notably is the Pacific Inn Resort, which was used to film interior shots for the Flagg Hotel in the show.
John Tenta ‘Earthquake’ memorabilia now on display at Museum of Surrey
Surrey, BC – The legacy of WWF wrestler John Tenta, known worldwide as ‘Earthquake’ is being celebrated with a display of memorabilia in the Museum of Surrey’s latest feature exhibition ‘Shake Up: Preserving What We Value.’
Visitors will have the opportunity to see the former Surrey resident’s iconic 1991 action figure, “The Wrestler” Magazine, featuring Earthquake vs. Hulk Hogan from 1990, a deck of trading cards and more in the exhibit’s pop culture section.
“Earthquakes are some of nature’s most powerful forces, and John Tenta certainly evokes that energy with the persona he created, which makes his legacy a perfect fit for the exhibit,” said Curator of Exhibits, Colleen Sharpe.
‘Shake Up: Preserving What We Value’ was originally developed by the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. Using cultural objects, art, and multimedia displays, the exhibit tells the story of earthquakes—and other natural disasters—through Indigenous knowledge passed down through oral histories.
To complement the multi-media installations, MOS added Surrey-specific content from the Heritage Surrey Collection, including the recent acquisition of Tenta’s memorabilia.
Kristin Hardie, Curator of Collections, says the memorabilia acquired for the Surrey Artifact Collection is one example of how objects can serve as a connection point with our community’s memory.
“We are thrilled to be able to preserve the amazing story of a ‘Surreyite’ who rose to the highest levels of his sport and who became famous on a global scale.
We hope that these items both preserve John Tenta’s legacy in his hometown and encourage his neighbours and fans to share their memories and stories about him.”
Hardie recently reached out to Tenta’s son, Jeff Tenta, who resides in Florida with his wife and two children. When asked how he felt about his father being included in the exhibit and his story being preserved and shared at the museum, he responded that it was a proud moment for the family.
“We’re happy that his community appreciates it – it’s good to know people care,” he said. Preserving and Sharing Surrey’s Stories. Heritage Services administers a large civic artifact collection, which consists of over 20,000 objects.
Already a world junior wrestling champion by age 20, Tenta first rose to fame in Japan, where he spent eight months as a sumo wrestler. He and his family returned to his hometown of Surrey from approximately 1989 to 1996, where he was affectionally known as ‘Big John’ to local media.
By 1989, Tenta was a full-time member in the WWF with the name, Earthquake. In 1993, Tenta headlined a West Coast wrestling competition at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
In 2006, Tenta passed away from bladder cancer at the age of 42. His sister, Brenda, currently resides in Langley.
‘Shake Up: Preserving What We Value’ runs until June. Visitors must pre-register for one hour long self-guided visits, which are available from 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday. Visitors can register by visiting emailing or by calling 604-592-6956.
The museum follows all citywide COVID- 19 safety protocols as per Health BC, City of Surrey and Worksafe BC. Masks are mandatory. Registration required for every person in your family group, including infants. For more information, visit us.
For more information about the Surrey Artifact Collections, visit our site. The City’s artifact collection can also be viewed virtually using the Surrey Archives & Museums free Online Access (SAMOA).
The Rivers that Connect Us by kʼwyʼiʼyʼe Spring Salmon Studio
Surrey, BC – A new public artwork has been installed at Museum of Surrey, the final component of the Museum expansion. The artwork is easily viewed by those travelling along Highway 10. Designed and fabricated locally by kʼwyʼiʼyʼe Spring Salmon Studio (Drew Atkins, Phyllis Atkins, and Aaron Jordan),
The Rivers that Connect Us is a monumental sculpture that makes an important contribution to the Cloverdale Historic District by acknowledging and reflecting the longstanding presence of First Nations peoples.
The artwork’s five-metre-tall, illuminated paddles are raised to the sky recalling a traditional Coast Salish gesture indicating peace and respect made when a canoe traveller approached a village.
The artwork’s welcoming gesture is intended to honour the diversity of newcomers arriving in Surrey and the traditional lands of the Coast Salish peoples.
The sculpture’s four paddles encircle a 3.5-metre round base that features a design inspired by the traditional form of a Coast Salish spindle whorl, a tool used by Coast Salish women to spin wool for weaving.
The base also references a compass and the four directions. The Salish Eye designs around the base of the paddles represent the seven traditional teachings of the Kwantlen peoples: health, happiness, generations, generosity, humility, forgiveness, and understanding.
While referencing the deep history of the land and the traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples including the q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓, q̓ic̓əy̓, and səmyəmɑʔɬ (Kwantlen, Katzie, and Semiahmoo First Nations) and traditional Coast Salish design, the sculpture also incorporates innovative technology with its steel and polycarbonate materials and programmable LED lighting.
Community consultation guided this public art opportunity from the outset. Multiple community engagement sessions were held, culminating in a group of Cloverdale residents serving on a panel to select the artists and artwork concept.
One of the key recommendations from the community was that the sculpture serve as a gateway feature for travellers to Cloverdale and the City of Surrey. The lighting will ensure the artwork is visible at night and fulfills the expectation of the Cloverdale community.
The artwork also offers an invitation to learn more about Surrey’s history, located beside Museum of Surrey (17710 56A Avenue) and Surrey Archives (located in the 1912 Municipal Hall).
For the artists, The Rivers that Connect Us provided an important opportunity to mark the traditional territories on which Surrey is built.
They say, “The Fraser River and its local tributaries—the Salmon, Serpentine, and Nicomekl Rivers—formed a transportation network that connected First Nations people in the area since time immemorial. Relied upon for resource gathering, travel, and trade, these rivers were traversed by canoes from many nations. Presently, the Highway 10 corridor, and its many connecting roads, is today’s river.”
The artwork’s title, The Rivers That Connect Us, is a reminder and an invitation to a shared human connection regardless of cultural or ethnic backgrounds.
About the Artists
Drew Atkins (Nəq̓ɑɬc̓i) is a member of the Kwantlen First Nation community by marriage to his wife and fellow artist, Phyllis Atkins (q̓ʷɑt̓ic̓ɑ’s). He works in many mediums including painting, drawing, carving, and sculpture.
He was trained in the Coast Salish carving tradition while apprenticing with his dear friend and mentor Xwa-lack-tun (Rick Harry). Atkins owns and operates K’wy’iye’ Spring Salmon Studio and Gallery in unceded Fort Langley, BC with Phyllis Atkins. springsalmonstudio.com
Phyllis (Qwoy’tic’a) Atkins is an artist of the Kwantlen First Nation whose name means “I wear the clouds like a blanket” or “Shrouded in clouds.” Her name comes from the Nɬeʔkepmx language and it was given to her by her maternal grandfather Hereditary Chief Anthony Joe of the Shakan Band (Thompson River People).
Phyllis is also part Sto:lo (People of the river). Phyllis has taken oil painting lessons from Barbara Boldt and hand-carved silver jewelry lessons by Master Carver Derek Wilson. She is a renowned painter and jeweler at their home on Kwantlen First Nation in Fort Langley. springsalmonstudio.com
Aaron Jordan grew up surrounded by artists and craftsmen of all mediums. Working for a few years in art galleries and museums led Aaron to attend Langara College to study fine arts. He went on to discover the world of film and was swept up by the creativity and diversity of the industry while working as a sculptor and carpenter building sets and props. ajordancreation.com
About Surrey’s Public Art Program
Established in 1998, Surrey’s Public Art Program contributes to the creation of a lively, beautiful, inclusive, and complete community. The City’s art collection reflects community identity, cultural diversity, and Indigenous heritage.
Public art contributes to placemaking across the City and its sustainable socio-economic development. Among the 100+ artworks in Surrey’s public art collection are mosaics, paintings, and interactive sculptures that remember Surrey’s history, enhance infrastructure, and honour the surrounding natural environment.
From subtle to iconic, public art can be found in the City’s parks, on pathways, streets, SkyTrain pillars, and civic buildings throughout the City of Surrey. For more information about the Public Art Program and the collection, visit surrey.ca/publicart
Arts and Entertainment
Recent Past Meets Speculative Future In Mark Soo’s Video Installation (Apr 17)
April 17−June 6, 2021
Artist Talk: Saturday, April 17 | 1:00 p.m. –2:00 p.m. PST on Surrey Art Gallery’s Facebook page and YouTube channel
Surrey, BC – Surrey Art Gallery launches their spring exhibit Mark Soo: Twilight on the Edge of Town on Facebook Live and YouTube on Saturday, April 17 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. PST with a talk by the artist that will be available for replay afterwards.
Drawing from an archive that evokes the history of science fiction film, 3D animation, documentary photography, and literature, Mark Soo’s newest video artwork explores the nature of perception and the limits of storytelling.
Through his juxtapositions of visual and experiential phenomena, this project stimulates poetic associations to place, reality, and imagination.
Across multiple screens, the artist creates an immersive choreography of visual elements over twenty-five minutes. Holographic images depict objects and events of the seemingly everyday where surreal log jams and raindrops mingle with flickering streetlights and backyard scenes.
An ambient soundtrack includes the voices of a child and adult simultaneously narrating the images, one in a speculation on the future and the other in a recollection of the past. Experienced in an ambiguous present, remembrance slips into projection and past and future are intertwined.
Mark Soo says, “I’ve tried to make a work that speaks to a complicated relationship to where we are, and of how we perceive that in terms of time and the relation to space.”
The result is part theatre, experimental cinema, and art installation. “By experimenting with the relationship between image and sound, fact and fiction,” says curator Jordan Strom, “Soo’s large-scale environment is a compelling meditation on the nature of individual and collective memory.”
Twilight on the Edge of Town builds on Soo’s work of the past decade and a half, including his interests in photography and film, the history of social movements, and experiments with the technological image. Surrey Art Gallery and Wirklichkeit Books, Berlin, will be co-publishing a catalogue about Mark Soo: Twilight on the Edge of Town in the fall of 2021.
Twilight on the Edge of Town is one of the 200 exceptional projects funded in part through the Canada Council for the Arts’ New Chapter program. With this $35M investment, the Council supports the creation and sharing of the arts in communities across Canada.
Other exhibitions at Surrey Art Gallery include Art by Surrey Secondary Students, a display of collages, drawings, and paintings from local youth (closes April 30) and the artist video Yam Lau: Hutong House. At UrbanScreen, Surrey Art Gallery’s offsite art venue, the Flavourcel collective presents I Spy a City, a series of animations that capture different sights in Surrey (closes May 2).
About Mark Soo
Mark Soo was born in Singapore. He graduated from Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design in 2001 and currently lives and works in Vancouver and Berlin. He works in a variety of media including photography, sound, and video, which he uses to investigate notions of perception, modes of representation, and considerations of social space.
Soo draws on diverse sources ranging from art history to popular and social histories. He has had solo exhibitions in Vancouver, Berlin, and London and has participated in numerous group exhibitions.
About Surrey Art Gallery
Internationally recognized for its award-winning programs, Surrey Art Gallery, located at 13750 88 Avenue in Surrey on the unceded territories of the Salish Peoples, including the q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ (Kwantlen), and Semiahma (Semiahmoo) nations, is the second largest public art museum in Metro Vancouver.
Founded in 1975, the Gallery presents contemporary art by local, national, and international artists, including digital and audio art. Its extensive public programs for children through to adults aim to engage the public in an ongoing conversation about issues and ideas that affect our communities and to provide opportunities to interact with artists and the artistic process.
Admission is free. Surrey Art Gallery gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of the City of Surrey, Province of BC through BC Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and the Surrey Art Gallery Association.
Surrey Art Gallery will continue to present Art Together, a series of online programs that began in March 2020 and explore art and artists in the community, spark the imagination, and celebrate the ways that art can impact our lives.
Visit our website, follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. surrey.ca/artgallery
Indigenous knowledge, science and pop culture unite to address ‘the Big One’
Surrey, BC – Museum of Surrey announces its latest feature exhibition, Shake Up: Preserving What We Value, coming March 11 to June 6. Through multimedia installations, art, and cultural objects, Shake Up examines the knowledge of earthquakes and natural disasters that has been passed down for generations through First Nations oral histories.
“It’s about reflecting on what we value, and how we ensure we keep our loved ones and stories safe,” said Museum of Surrey manager, Lynn Saffery, of the exhibit that was originally developed by Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia.
As part of the immersive exhibit, visitors will have the opportunity board an electric car and take a simulated drive down a San Francisco street, featuring never-before-seen footage of the big 1906 quake aftermath. Visitors can get up close to an earthquake-proof yurt, built locally in Langley.
The theme of earthquakes in pop culture is explored through movie posters, cards, earthquake toys and the famous WWF wrestler, ‘Earthquake.’ Surrey-specific content and artifacts from the Heritage Surrey collection will also be on display.
Free pre-registered, one-hour self-guided visits of the museum are available from Wednesday to Saturday. The museum follows all citywide COVID-19 safety protocols as per Health BC, City of Surrey and WorkSafe BC. Masks are mandatory. Registration required for every person in your family group, including infants. Call 604-592-6956 or email museum@surrey.ca to register.
Museum of Surrey is a dynamic and accessible community hub and cultural space that reflects the City of Surrey’s innovation and creativity.
It is a people museum, with a mission to connect people and stories through engaging events, interactive award- winning exhibits, programs, textiles and local, national and international exhibitions, as well as public space for rentals. The site, located at 17710 56A Avenue in Surrey, is on the Heritage Campus, home to Veterans Square, Anderson Cabin, 1881 Town Hall and Anniedale School.
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