Twenty-Eight Artists Riff on the Vancouver Special in the Latest Issue of ‘Duct Tape’ Magazine

We’re proponents of all magazines, great and small. The more the merrier! Rising tides, etc! So when a copy of Duct Tape came across our desks, we didn’t get mad: we got on a call with publisher (and artist/graphic designer) Mark Mizgala.

The indie zine caught our eye specifically because of the topic of the latest issue (#3): Vancouver Specials. As eagle-eyed readers will know from reading our history of the iconic residential architectural form or from our celebration of recent renovations, we’re fond of a good ol’ Van Spesh, so to flip through a glossy mag of artworks inspired by the typology was a treat.

“I’ve got an interest in architecture and an interest in East Vancouver, and Vancouver Specials fascinate me,” says Mizgala. “They get a bit of a bad rap, but they’re utilitarian, and there’s an iconicness about them.” He’s been wearing a screenprinted shirt of a Vancouver Special house from Blim for years.

For issue number three of Duct Tape, he distributed 28 photos of Vancouver Specials that he’d taken to 28 artists, including Ken Lum, Sandeep Johal, Erin McSavaney and Chairman Ting. “As I approached people, I discovered so many had a personal connection to Vancouver Specials. They’d lived in one, or had friends who lived in one. So many people brought different stories to it, and I think that’s what interested the artists in the project—their own personal brush with the architecture,” says Mizgala.

From weaving to painting to collage to drawings, the publication is a wide-ranging visual exploration of a familiar building. “I was surprised by the diversity,” says Mizgala. A little something (Vancouver) special from each talented contributor.

Duct Tape is hosting a gallery show for these Vancouver Special pieces on July 19 in the Artworks Building, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. In the meantime, find a copy ($30) at Vancouver Special (the store!), Kranky Cafe or via Mizgala’s website.