Jeremy Shaw LOT 422

Jeremy Shaw
LOT 422

somethingshappeninghere.ca

At Every Letter in the Alphabet
1875 Powell St
Vancouver BC, Canada
Open Thursday to Sunday 11am to 5pm

everyletterinthealphabet.ca/

www.presentationhousegall.com/public.html

A remote-controlled android was created in 1982 to promote the upcoming 1986 World’s Exposition in Vancouver, Canada. Dubbed Expo Ernie, he and four clones traveled the world before their deployment as hosts in the fair’s six colored zones. The cartoon-like android, officially referred to as both mascot and ambassador, was meant to personify the fair’s transnational theme of “World in Motion – World in Touch”. At the conclusion of the fair, Jimmy Pattison, CEO and President of the Expo ’86 Corporation, paid 53,000 CDN for the acquisition of the ‘official’ Expo Ernie. Mr. Pattison was also given three of the remaining, non-functioning surrogates to be used for replacement parts. The fifth, partially-functioning Expo Ernie was presumed destroyed. This is the fifth Expo Ernie.

Every Letter in the Alphabet is commissioned by the City of Vancouver through its Olympic and Paralympic Public Art Program as part of Mapping and Marking artist-initiated projects for 2010: everyletterinthealphabet.ca

Presentation House Gallery is supported by The Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, the City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver through the North Vancouver Office of Cultural Affairs, the BC Gaming Commission and Metro Vancouver.

Something’s Happening Here was commissioned by Presentation House Gallery and originally presented with the Vancouver 2009 Cultural Olympiad: www.presentationhousegall.com/public.html