Moving Images (IAT344) The City Poems Project: A Collaboration with Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, Fiona Tinwei Lam (Spring 2023, Spring 2024)
I have offered this class twice in a re-designed mode to support learning about Moving Images through the lens of “video poetry”, in collaboration is with Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, Fiona Tinwei Lam. In late 2022, she invited our class to create entries to her City Poems Video Poetry Contest–– an amazing challenge for our students to showcase creativity and innovative approaches to creating experimental, montage, and documentary works. Building on a major exhibition at the Surrey Art Gallery in Spring 2023, “Video Poetry” became an exciting and significant way to meet the learning objectives of the course, balancing knowledge and production skills between narrative continuity and experimental montage. Students from SIAT, Emily Carr University, and UBC all produced video poetry based on work by high profile local poets in Spring 2023 to enter this contest, with SIAT students winning top prizes in public presentations at the Museum of Vancouver.
In Spring 2024, we continued our collaboration and produced a whole new series of poems and videos that have been widely screened in Vancouver, as part of a one-year screening program at the Mount Pleasant Community Art Screen (programmed by grunt gallery), and in national and international film festivals (see list of student screenings below). These films are archived on the Vancouver Public Library’s YouTube channel (See 2024 Playlist, and 2023 Playlist), and have also been incorporated into a geolocative app—the Poet Laureate’s Legacy project. Please note that videos are not embedded on this page, per the Vancouver Public Library’s video sharing settings, but I link individually to films on their YouTube channel. I have included images and links to a selection of my favorite films from the Video Poetry project below.
See more at SFU News: “Students Win Top Awards in Vancouver Poet Laureate Videopoetry Competition”
Download the City Poems Publication (produced by Fiona Tinwei Lam, documenting her legacy poetry and video poetry project).
Students had the opportunity to collaborate with established poets, innovators in the video poetry space, and Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, Fiona Tinwei Lam
A poetry video by Semi Chan, Sabrina Fong, Vincent Sam and Rebecca Wong based on a poem by Rita Wong. Click on image to watch.
City Poem Contest Entry #1010. First place winner. Team: Brian Baldueza, Wilson Pham, Nanop Yansomboon, Brianna Wong, Milana Umrilova. Location: Chinatown. SFU IAT 344 (Term Two). Click on image to watch.
City Poem Contest Entry #1018. Team: Zak Zastera, Jonathon Newman, Alyssa Umbal, Russell Yuen. Location: English Bay. SFU IAT 344 (Term Two). Click on image to watch.
City Poem Contest Entry #1009. Team: Derian Sera, Trisha Wong, Emmanuel Navas. Location: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden (Strathcona) and Downtown Eastside. SFU IAT 344 (Term Two). Click on image to watch.
City Poem Contest Entry #1014. Third place winner. Team: Joanne Kim, Yenan Huang, Dongmei Han, Hanako Oba. Location: Hogan’s Alley, Strathcona. SFU IAT 344 (Term Two). Click on image to watch.
City Poem Contest Entry #1011. Best documentary style poetry video winner. Team: Kais Neffati, Bhalinder Singh Oberoi, Ishmael Togi, Minh Truong. Location: Coal Harbour. SFU IAT 344 (Term Two). Click on image to watch.
City Poem Contest Entry #1038. Team: Cindy Wang, Erin Au, Rohan Samuel. Location: Hastings Park and Marpole. SFU IAT 344 (Term Two). Click on image to watch.
City Poem Contest Entry #1016. Honourable mention recipient. Team: Christy Fang, Vito Fan, Cici Tan, Calvin Lin, Alex Liu. Location: The former Marco Polo Restaurant, 90 East Pender St., Chinatown. SFU IAT 344 (Term Two). Click on image to watch.
A poetry video by Kitty Cheung, Brent Waldbillig, Rania Abdulaziz, and Patricia Sugiarta based on a poem by Chantal Gibson. Click on image to watch.
A poetry video by Carlos Montoya Aviles, Jerick Erice, and Kobe Stimpson based on a poem by Chantal Gibson. Click on image to watch.
2024 City Poems Playlist. Click on image to watch.
A poetry video by Yuki Cai, Grace Liang, Jillian Li, Eunice Wong based on a poem by Gary Geddes. Click on image to watch.
A poetry video by Kenneth Karthik, based on a poem by Kuldip Gill. Click on image to watch.
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Award Ceremony, Museum of Vancouver, 2023
Students presenting a rough cut at SIAT, 2023
Public Screening, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Public Screening, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Public Screening, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Awards Ceremony and Reception, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Awards Ceremony and Reception, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Awards Ceremony and Reception, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Awards Ceremony and Reception, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Awards Ceremony and Reception, Vancouver Public Library, 2024
Lectures on Video Poetry with Fiona Lam and Tom Konyves, 2023.
Lectures on Video Poetry with Fiona Lam and Tom Konyves, 2023.
Lectures on Video Poetry with Fiona Lam and Tom Konyves, 2023.
Lectures on Video Poetry with Fiona Lam and Tom Konyves, 2023.
Video Poetry Screenings of Student Work
International Migration and the Environment Film Festival, Kitchener, ON, 2024.
Take A St. And ~ Poet: Rita Wong| Filmmakers: Semi Ka-Yiu Chan, Sabrina Fong, Vincent Sam, Rebecca Wong
Drumshambo Written Word Poetry Festival, Ireland, 2024
Our Punjabi Market ~ Poet: Kuldip Gil| Filmmaker: Kenneth Karthik
Ad Hominem ~ Poet: Chantal Gibson| Filmmakers: Kitty Cheung, Brent Waldbillig, Rania Abdulaziz,
and Patricia Sugiarta
Resonans Festival, Copenhagen, 2024
Our Punjabi Market ~ Poet: Kuldip Gil| Filmmaker: Kenneth Karthik
Featured in Vancouver Writer’s Festival Newsletter, April 26th 2024.
Take A St. And ~ Poet: Rita Wong| Filmmakers: Semi Ka-Yiu Chan, Sabrina Fong, Vincent Sam, Rebecca Wong
Cadence Film Festival, Seattle, 2024
Postcard Home from English Bay ~ Poet: Alex Leslie | Filmmakers: Zak Zastera, Jonathon Newman, Alyssa Umbal, Russell Yuen
April 2024 – March 31 2025
Mount Pleasant Community Art Screen and City Poems Project – daily screening program, 1 year. Premiere Screenings, grunt gallery, April 6 2024.
Our Punjabi Market ~ Poet: Kuldip Gil| Filmmaker: Kenneth Karthik
Take A St. And ~ Poet: Rita Wong| Filmmakers: Semi Ka-Yiu Chan, Sabrina Fong, Vincent Sam, Rebecca Wong
Ad Hominem ~ Poet: Chantal Gibson| Filmmakers: Kitty Cheung, Brent Waldbillig, Rania Abdulaziz, and Patricia Sugiarta
What do I remember of the Evacuation ~ Poet: Joy Kogawa | Filmmakers: Cindy Wang, Erin Au, Rohan Samuel
Welcome ~ Poet: Sadhu Binning | Filmmakers: Kais Naffa, Bhalinder Singh Oberoi, Ishmael Togi, Minh Truong
Contrasts ~ Poet: Donna Seto | Filmmakers: Brian Baldueza, Wilson Pham, Nanop Yansomboon
This was meant to be for Nora ~ Poet: Junie Desil | Filmmakers: Joanne Kim, Yenan Huang, Dongmei Han, Hanako Oba
Postcard Home from English Bay ~ Poet: Alex Leslie | Filmmakers: Alexis Lee, Van Mai, Erin Teply
Postcard Home from English Bay ~ Poet: Alex Leslie | Filmmakers: Zak Zastera, Jonathon Newman, Alyssa Umbal, Russell Yuen
REELPoetry Film Festival, Houston, TX. April 3, 2023. 12 Films curated by Fiona Tinwei Lam. Program, including 6 made by SIAT students in IAT344:
Vancouver Writers Festival, UBC Robson Square Theatre. Sept. 2023. 12 Films curated by Fiona Tinwei Lam. Program, including 6 made by SIAT students in IAT344:
Program: “Moving Poems and the City”
What do I remember of the Evacuation ~ Poet: Joy Kogawa | Filmmakers: Cindy Wang, Erin Au, Rohan Samuel
Welcome ~ Poet: Sadhu Binning | Filmmakers: Kais Naffa, Bhalinder Singh Oberoi, Ishmael Togi, Minh Truong
Contrasts ~ Poet: Donna Seto | Filmmakers: Brian Baldueza, Wilson Pham, Nanop Yansomboon
This was meant to be for Nora ~ Poet: Junie Desil | Filmmakers: Joanne Kim, Yenan Huang, Dongmei Han, Hanako Oba
Postcard Home from English Bay ~ Poet: Alex Leslie | Filmmakers: Alexis Lee, Van Mai, Erin Teply
Postcard Home from English Bay ~ Poet: Alex Leslie | Filmmakers: Zak Zastera, Jonathon Newman, Alyssa Umbal, Russell Yuen
Spring 2023: Museum of Vancouver Theatre, City Poems Video Poetry Project screenings and Competition Announcements and Awards. SIAT winners:
• Brian Baldueza, Nanop Yansomboon, and Wilson Pham won first place for their poetry video Contrasts based on a poem by Donna Seto about gentrification in Chinatown.
• Xinran Han, Delai Gao, Minyang Zhang tied for second place along with a group of students from Emily Carr for their poetry video An Existence That We Can Call Home based on a poem by James Kim about the displacement of First Nations and racialized communities in what is now known as Stanley Park.
• Yenan Huang, Dongmei Han, Hanako Oba and Joanne Kim were awarded third place for their poetry video This Was Meant to be for Nora based on a poem by Junie Desil about Hogan’s Alley, the site of a historic Black community in Vancouver.
• Kais Neffati, Bhalinder Oberoi, Ishmael Togi and Minh Truong were awarded with the best documentary-style poetry video for their video Welcome based on a poem by Sadhu Binning about the infamous Komagata Maru incident in 1914.
• Two teams of SIAT students were awarded with honourable mentions: Grace Yang, Jalene Pang, Brandyn Chew and Erin Yeonjae Choi for their video The Stone Artist and Christy Fang, Vito Fan, Cici Tan, and Calvin Lin for their video Entertainment.
• An audience choice award from the SFU films was given the film with the most "likes" on the Vancouver Public Library’s YouTube Channel and this was awarded to Kayla Canama, Tingting Liu, Andrea Huang, and Eleonora Shive for their video Diaspora.
Mount Pleasant Community Art Screen
Students were honoured to have their work featured on a busy street corner at East Broadway and Kingsway in East Vancouver in a daily looping screening program for over a year. This screen is programed by grunt gallery, one of the city’s oldest artist-run centres. A kick off celebration and presentation by Fiona Tinwei Lam about the project and screening program took place in April 2024.
