Exhibit / Vortex

Last chance to see Vortex

Experience acclaimed author and artist Douglas Coupland’s Vortex – a new radical art installation.

Overview

Ending November 11

Step into Vortex, take an imaginative journey to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and immerse yourself in the ocean plastic pollution crisis. Coupland’s exhibit will make you think about plastic in a relevant, contemplative, and transformative way.

Join the conversation at #VortexatVA

About the exhibit

Douglas Coupland

Douglas Coupland’s literary and visual art combined have earned him global recognition. Coupland is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. His first novel and international bestseller, Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, was the precursor to an extraordinary library of published prose.

About the exhibit

Finding Vortex

Join Douglas Coupland on a beachcombing trip to Haida Gwaii. His regular visits to this mystical place during the past two decades has inspired Vortex and inspired an evolution in his work with consumer plastics.

About the exhibit

Journey of the boats

Discover the colourful story behind the boat used in Vortex. This Japanese fishing boat, originally from Ishinomaki, was found washed up on shores of Haida Gwaii six years after the 2011 tsunami.

About the exhibit

Art meets science meets ocean

Coupland’s exhibit will make you think about plastic in a relevant, contemplative, and transformative way.

About the exhibit

Art meets science meets ocean

Coupland’s exhibit will make you think about plastic in a relevant, contemplative, and transformative way.

About the exhibit

Art meets science meets ocean

Coupland’s exhibit will make you think about plastic in a relevant, contemplative, and transformative way.

About the exhibit

Art meets science meets ocean

Coupland’s exhibit will make you think about plastic in a relevant, contemplative, and transformative way.

About the exhibit

Art meets science meets ocean

Coupland’s exhibit will make you think about plastic in a relevant, contemplative, and transformative way.

Featured

Go behind the scenes

Participate in interactive sessions alongside Aquarium interpreters, biologists and trainers. Get up close with some of the incredible aquatic animals as you go behind the scenes and help with a feeding or training session.

How We Help

Plastic wise

Single-use plastic waste is harming ocean life. Ocean Wise® created the Plastic Wise initiative to raise awareness and share solutions to address the crisis of ocean plastic. Join us. #BePlasticWise.

01

Plastic reduction

At Ocean Wise, we’re embarking on our own single-use plastic reduction journey. We’ve gone 100% water bottle free and we’ve taken steps to reduce plastic disposables throughout our premises by replacing disposables with ocean-friendly alternatives.

02

Plastics research

In the ocean, plastic breaks down over time into tinier pieces, found from pole to pole. The Coastal Ocean Research Institute, an Ocean Wise initiative, conducts groundbreaking research on microplastic pollution.

03

Sea Lion rescue

Countless marine animals are endangered by plastic debris in the ocean. Our Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Program team pioneered a rescue method to disentangle sea lions.

Shop Now

Limited Edition Vortex Merchandise

All profits from the sale of our unique Vortex products go to support our education, conservation and research projects.

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The Vancouver Aquarium will be temporarily closed to the public starting Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and all programming will be cancelled as a preventative measure to help stop the spread of COVID-19 through our community.​​​​​ Learn more.