Improvised oil-spill cleanup at Stanley Park, Vancouver,1973. Photograph by John Denniston
On the occasion of Canada?s 150th anniversary in 2017, the Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) presents an exhibition that challenges basic assumptions about the country?s relationship to nature.
Curated by CCA Director Mirko Zardini, designed by Kuehn Malvezzi and with graphic design by Massimo Pitis, the exhibit will be displayed from November 16, 2016 through April 9, 2017.  It?s All Happening So Fast: A Counter-History of the Modern Canadian Environment explores the contradictory relationship between Canada?s idealized wilderness and its simultaneous exploitation.
In an age of unprecedented human impact on the planet, certain countries stand out for their privileged positions and the complexity of their relationships with regard to the land. Canada’s stories follow the discovery and appropriation of vast and varied natural resources, yet today, the country’s environmental record is one of the poorest among wealthy nations. It is a fact that suggests ambivalence and the actions of competing interests, which are most often exposed through disasters?moments of disorder, and disregard for the unexpected consequences of managing the country?s seemingly endless bounty. The exhibition?s narratives span a history of Canada?s relationship with the land since 1945 to expose complex connections among different interests, competing cultural myths, an evolving legal context, ...