Derry artist brings
the ‘art of the pub’ to Vancouver
 The Candahar Bar – an art installation/Belfast pub on display at the Playwrights Theatre Centre on Granville Island as part of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad was the creation of British-born artist, Theo Sims. Bartender Chris Roddy is shown above at the installation. |
By ANNE SANDERS
VANCOUVER – It was an exciting couple of weeks. The Olympics descended upon Vancouver and despite a few hiccups, everyone I talked to had nothing but positive comments surrounding the events they watched from their living rooms or the variety of activities happening around the city.
One of the most interesting exhibitions I saw was The Candahar Bar – an art installation/Belfast pub that was on display at the Playwrights Theatre Centre on Granville Island. That’s right. An art sculpture that’s also a recreation of a Belfast pub. With real beer? You bet.
Brought to Vancouver by Presentation House Gallery in North Vancouver and part of the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, The Candahar was the creation of British-born artist, Theo Sims. I checked it out on the final day of the games, just before Canada and the U.S took to the ice to battle for hockey gold.
I bought a ticket and walked up three flights to the Playwrights Theatre Centre. In the corner of the room was a wooden structure about the size of a large shipping container.
Inside it – The Candahar Bar, a very authentic looking pub complete with a little television up on a shelf showing old videotapes of Irish horseracing. It was all there, beer taps, seats, old advertisements on the walls. It was like this authentic little pub had been transported across the Atlantic in Dr. Who’s red phone box.
Theo Sims is the artist and he’s also the director of the Context Gallery in Derry. Having exhibited in Europe and Canada for the past 20 years, he’s a visual artist and also a self-taught carpenter.
He assembled The Candahar, overseeing every detail and bringing along two Belfast bartenders, brothers Chris and Conor Roddy.
The name “Candahar” comes from a street in Belfast that was the centre for a group of Irish artists. The Candahar Bar is a recreation of a Belfast pub which is based on the interiors of a few different bars Sims would frequent when he was an art student in Belfast.
The ceiling is based on The Garrick, the benches and tables look like they came from The Kitchen Bar and the layout is based on The Blackthorn.
Theo Sims’ objective with his art is to make the piece socially engaging. That is, art or sculpture that you just don’t observe, but take an active part in.
The Candahar is not a licensed pub, it’s a presentation, so I passed my ticket to bartender Chris Roddy and he poured me a pint.
While I was there, I observed some of the other patrons. They were laughing, chatting and acting as if they were, well – in a pub. There were a few quizzical looks as people entered but overall it seemed to go over very well.
I asked Chris the bartender his thoughts on Canadians. He told me he couldn’t believe how polite and patient Canadians were – even when they had to stand in long queues.
He told me that on a lark he walked out into Granville Island one sunny day during the Olympics with a cardboard sign that read “Queue $1.” In a matter of minutes he had a line-up of people. For what? Nothing, they were just standing in a queue.
He said it was a good laugh and no one in the queue was unhappy when they discovered they’d just lined up for absolutely nothing. I asked Chris what he thought about hockey? He replied “awk hockey’d go over brilliant like in Belfast….shure we’ve bin chasin’ each other with masks and sticks for ages.”
So there’s an “art” to conversation, some would say an “art” to pouring the perfect pint. I walked into an art gallery on Granville Island and discovered there’s an “art” to the pub.
First displayed at the Illingworth Kerr Gallery at the Alberta College of Art and Design in September of 2006, The Candahar’s installation on Granville Island was the fifth and final stop.
For more information visit www.contextgallery.co.uk
•
 ANNE SANDERS |
Anne Sanders is a Broadcast Communications graduate from BCIT. She's a freelance writer and voice over announcer and has worked at Cool FM, Belfast and at CKNW and NEWS 1130, Vancouver. She's taught copywriting at BCIT and served on the board of various media organizations including Canadian Women in Communications.
| 
