'we are all held together': new vancouver mural honours legacy of care in dtes neighbourhood
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in vancouver’s chinatown a new landmark rises. not in steel or glass, but colour.
against a towering black canvas, dozens of bright figures in yellows, reds and blues twist as if caught in free fall to form a colossal heart nearly 18 metres tall, visible from blocks away.
the mural, humanity heals, was unveiled last week on the side of the 10-storey keefer house, which is in its final construction stage and set to open oct. 20. it’s more than art, it’s a statement — a declaration of neighbourhood solidarity.
“it’s people, each alone, falling through the cracks,” said artist rory doyle, 45. “but together, their bodies form a heart, love, that can be seen from sight lines around the city.”
the mural was commissioned by the building’s operator, kalido hospitality group, as a gesture to the neighbourhoods of chinatown and the adjacent downtown eastside, which are affected by poverty, substance use and housing insecurity.
as a teenager, doyle, a tsawwassen resident, painted walls with a spray can. he now paints murals full time — and this was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“this piece is about how healing doesn’t happen in isolation,” he said. “we are all held together by community, compassion and connection.”
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created in partnership with the city’s dr. peter centre, the mural honours its namesake, dr. peter jepson‑young — a vancouver physician who was an advocate for marginalized people before he died of aids in 1992.
the non-profit centre offers integrative care, such as housing, substance-use harm‑reduction, and complex health-care, including for hiv. it was among the first facilities in north america to integrate supervised injections into its care model.
for doyle, the project is the largest mural he’s painted. “it became a way to honour the real work being done in the city to care for those who are too often overlooked.”
completed in nine days, doyle worked alone, sometimes during 12‑hour shifts while harnessed to a lift high above the street. the mural crowns chinatown memorial square.
“its location was a golden opportunity,” said doyle. “the wall was completely unobstructed by the adjacent empty lot, making it visible from vantage points all over the city.”
keefer house will feature 58 furnished apartments with a mix of accommodation options and ground‑level retail and restaurant space.
the development is kalido hospitality’s second vancouver apartment‑hotel project, next to smithe house in yaletown.
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javier cepeda, managing director of kalido hospitality, says keefer house will add capacity to vancouver’s strained hotel supply.
“a lack of hotels affects the economy because without enough accommodations, the city risks losing out on not being chosen as a destination for large events,” said cepeda.
“as a (company), we are looking at things in terms of what value we can bring to each unique neighbourhood.”
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