Joy Hanser will tell you the time and place of her birth had a profound impact on the way she sees — and treats — the world.
She was born in a post-war Amsterdam, a city so battered she was forced to conserve to the extreme. “You made the most out of every little scrap you could find,” she says.
And though the war ended 70 years ago, she still maintains her frugal lifestyle — one that focuses on being sustainable as much as possible.
She rides buses, rapid transit and bicycle (“It’s natural for me being from Amsterdam,” she says) to get around every day and, besides reducing her carbon footprint, she loves the social aspect to public transit, too. “I often wonder why people don’t do it more,” she says, “because it’s a lot of fun and we have a good system here.”
For the past six years, Hanser has managed to capture many scenes along the way and, on Friday, she’ll open her first solo exhibit at Coquitlam’s Place des Arts to show her travel scenes.
In Transit contains images of passengers in Metro Vancouver and Victoria waiting for their buses or SkyTrain ride; there are also pictures of passengers inside, staring out the window while the surroundings whoosh by.
Hanser says the riders’ stillness and patience can often be beautiful to observe.
However, too many are self-absorbed and she worries about what kind of society mobile devices are producing. “They can be good excuses not to engage,” she says.
Still, Hanser passes no judgement as she, too, sometimes prefers to be alone rather than chatting with strangers.
Hanser, who in 2013 was part of a group show in Port Coquitlam called Transitory/Transit Story, is now expanding on her public transit series by interpreting images of Europe’s system, specifically in Portugal and her native Netherlands.
Meanwhile, also opening at Place des Arts Friday is a digital photography display by Robert Baliello. His Traditional SFX exhibit runs until March 12.
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@jwarrenTC
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Montreal native Sylvie Roussel-Janssens is this year’s exhibiting artist for Festival du Bois, the annual French-Canadian fete that opens beside Place des Arts next month.
Roussel-Janssens, a Chilliwack resident, will present light sculptures as part of her display titled Illuminimo, which opens with a reception Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. at Place des Arts (1120 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam). Her show runs Feb. 12 to March 12.
