The Heart of Davie

Davie Street in Downtown Vancouver has long been the epicentre of inclusivity of subcultures in the city. This proposal for a large digital heart is conceived to convey openness (everyone loves a heart) and to serve as a curatable digital screen for the presentation of artworks, videos, and graphics that can reinforce both the quotidian and special-event status of the street. The project also pays direct homage to an earlier and smaller neon heart that was installed along the street nearby, designed by Jim Balakshin in 2017, also called the ‘Heart of Davie Village’. This light sculpture presented a rebuttal to heteronormative ideas of place-making, celebrating the neighbourhood’s ethos of being welcoming and safe space for all.