‘Fake news’-inspired exhibition challenges notions of truth
Posted June 19, 2017 8:02 pm.
Last Updated June 19, 2017 8:03 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Some Donald Trump catchphrases and ideas have helped inspire a new exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver.
Gregroy Dreicer, the museum’s Director of Curatorial and Engagement, says “Unbelievable” explores the power of story, and what happens when we question the truth.
“Fake news, alternative facts, you know we live in the post-truth world, it’s been pretty intense for a while,” he says.
The exhibition assembles iconic artifacts, replicas and contested objects to challenge stories of Vancouver and British Columbia.
“For example, we have a plaque, that actually exists in Gastown, right under Gassy Jack, that says something like, ‘the pioneers got together here and named the city Vancouver.’ That story is completely false, it was named by someone in the railroad company,” Dreicer says.
“We thought we could by looking at stories, and by looking at all these different versions of stories, we could look at what we believe and what we don’t.”
There’s also an interactive scale of truth.
“Where we’re having certain images and words and we’re asking people to post it according to what they believe, you know, is this a white lie, is this a hoax, where does this fall?”
With Winter Olympic Games costumes, a totem pole and a large bird mask, the exhibition is very much about BC.
But Dreicer says it isn’t just for locals.
“I am absolutely sure that people who come from anywhere are going to be very entertained and have their eyes opened by the kind of artifacts and stories that we’re telling.”
Unbelievable is at the museum from June 24th until September 24th.